The ruins groaned under the weight of the battle. The Forgotten Host clashed with Samael, wings and fire colliding in storms of light and shadow. The sky split open with each blow, thunder and flame tearing at the heavens themselves.
Maxwell stood frozen at the heart of it all, his sword blazing in his grip, but his body locked in place. His storm-gray eyes flickered violently between silver and crimson. Every whisper from Samael twisted tighter around his heart, every pulse of the chains resonated with the blood in his veins. He wasn't fighting the Archdemon anymore — he was fighting himself.
Gabby saw it. Her chest clenched, but there was no time to pull him back. Samael's fire surged, crashing against the Host like a tidal wave. She spread her wings and dove into the inferno, golden blade cutting arcs of light. Her voice rang out, fierce and commanding.
"Stand firm! Do not let him break the line!"
Her blade met Samael's wing, sparks exploding like meteors. The force hurled her backward, but she caught herself midair, slamming her sword into the ground. Golden light burst outward, forming a barrier around Maxwell's still form.
Anthony staggered to her side, the Codex open in his trembling hands. The pages bled fire and light, burning his fingers raw, but he held on. His voice cracked as he shouted the words, Latin spilling from his throat with desperate urgency.
"Exsurge, Domine! Ne praevaleat in aeternum malitia!"
The air rippled. The barrier thickened. Samael's fire struck it, but for a moment, it held.
Anthony gasped, sweat pouring down his face, his body shaking with every syllable. "I can't hold this forever!"
Gabby tightened her grip on her sword, wings flaring against the storm. "You don't need forever. Just long enough."
"Long enough for what?!"
Her eyes flicked to Maxwell, still locked in his silent war. His sword trembled in his hands, his breath ragged, but he hadn't moved.
Gabby whispered, almost to herself, "Long enough for him to remember who he is."
Samael's laughter split the night. "How touching. You think he will save you? Look at him! He's already mine. His blood sings with my fire, his veins burn with my gift. While you waste your strength protecting him, I carve my mark deeper with every heartbeat."
He struck again, his flames crashing against their barrier. The ground split, rubble exploding outward. Anthony screamed, blood spraying from his lips as the Codex seared into his palms. He nearly fell, but Gabby seized his arm, steadying him.
"Hold!" she roared.
The barrier flickered, cracking like glass under the force of Samael's onslaught. The Forgotten Host pressed forward in a desperate counterstrike, their veiled faces grim, their blades glowing brighter as they absorbed the blow. But even they faltered.
In the center of it all, Maxwell trembled. Sweat poured down his brow. His storm-gray eyes glowed red, then silver, then red again. Samael's whispers echoed endlessly:
Break them.
Free me.
Be me.
And just beneath it, softer, fragile, another voice whispered — his mother's.
My son… you are stronger than the darkness.
Maxwell's breath hitched, his grip on his sword faltering, his choice hanging by a thread.
Gabby and Anthony held the line with everything they had. Their light burned, their voices cracked, their bodies bled. But they stood.
And for one fragile heartbeat, the world balanced on whether Maxwell would stand with them — or fall.