The rooftop was an ocean of dust and smoke, the shattered remnants of Raven's throne scattered like broken glass. The night sky finally broke free of its cage of shadows—moonlight spilling across the battlefield, cold and clear.
Kai stood with his fists lowered, his chest rising and falling like a hammer. Crimson embers flickered across his arms, fading slowly as exhaustion gnawed at him. Lira leaned on her sword, her breathing ragged, yet her eyes locked firmly on their enemy.
Raven staggered forward, his cloak in tatters, his aura flickering weakly around him like a dying flame. Every step he took was unsteady, but his glare still burned with venom. "You… think this changes anything?" His voice was hoarse, dripping with disbelief and fury. "You've only delayed the inevitable."
Kai raised his chin, crimson light still glowing faintly in his eyes. "No… we've ended it."
Lira echoed him, her voice strong despite her exhaustion. "Your shadows don't rule this city anymore."
Raven snarled, forcing his broken body upright. "You fools—without shadows, there can be no balance! Light without darkness consumes itself!"
"Then let it consume me!" Kai roared, slamming his fist into the ground. The rooftop cracked, flames spiraling upward around his body. His aura, though weakened, still blazed with unyielding defiance. "If that's what it takes to protect her—to protect everyone—then so be it!"
Raven's eyes widened, just for a second. There was something raw in Kai's voice, something unshakable.
Lira stepped forward, her blade trembling, but steady. "You don't understand, Raven. Darkness doesn't give balance. People do. Bonds do." She pointed her sword at him, her silver gaze piercing through his with the force of conviction. "And that's something you lost long ago."
Raven's laughter cracked, bitter and broken. "Bonds? Bonds are shackles. They betrayed me… they left me!" His voice shook, not with rage—but with old wounds.
For a moment, the storm was silent.
Kai's fire dimmed slightly, his tone lowering. "Then maybe that's why you can't stand us. Because we still have what you lost."
Raven's body trembled. His shadows flickered like a dying candle. He opened his mouth to speak—yet no words came. Only silence, thick and heavy.
Finally, with a final desperate roar, he hurled himself at them, shadows bursting from his hands. But his power was fractured, his throne gone, his dominion shattered.
Kai met him head-on, crimson fire igniting his fist. Lira struck beside him, silver light blazing along her blade.
Together, they cut through Raven's final attack.
The blow sent him flying backward, crashing into the rubble. His body lay still, the last of his aura dissolving into the night air.
The tyrant of shadows had fallen.
Moonlight washed over the rooftop, pure and unbroken.
Kai fell to one knee, gasping for breath. Lira dropped beside him, her hand finding his shoulder. For the first time in what felt like forever, the storm was gone.
And in the silence, there was only the sound of their hearts, beating in sync.
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