The air grew thick with a crushing presence. The walls of the Temple of Echoes seemed to close in, their dark stone stretching and warping like the body of a great beast. The whispers of forgotten gods hummed through the halls, barely audible yet loud enough to make Steven's skin crawl.
"You're wrong," Steven said, his voice steady despite the cold sweat running down his back. "I'm not a vessel. I'm not anyone's pawn."
The Absence tilted its head, its form flickering like a shadow. "You don't understand, do you? You were born for this. For this moment. For me."
A surge of wild magic pulsed from the Codex embedded into his wrist, its light flaring brighter than ever before. He could feel its pull. Feel the ancient power calling him. It was a sensation he'd never experienced before—distant yet familiar. Like he was part of something larger. Something eternal.
Steven's heart hammered in his chest. His body instinctively wanted to take a step back, but his mind refused. No. Not this time.
"I am Steven Lethal. And I've killed gods, demons, and worse. But I've never been anyone's pawn."
The Absence let out a low, rumbling laugh—unnerving and hollow. "Then prove it."
In a flash, it moved.
Too fast. Too impossible.
The dark figure struck with a wave of void energy that cracked the air like a thunderclap. The Temple itself groaned, as if the very foundation of reality was being torn apart.
Steven didn't flinch. He reacted.
He raised his arm, a swirling shield of magic bursting to life, formed from the deepest well of cosmic energy he could channel. It intertwined with the Codex, each rune glowing like a star born anew.
The void collided with his shield, an explosion of energy that made the entire room shudder. Stones cracked. Dust filled the air.
But Steven stood firm.
"You can't touch me. I won't let you."
For the first time since his arrival in this place, he felt the magic rise in him, in full control.
The Absence stepped forward, unfazed, its form now shifting between planes of reality. "The more you resist, the more you reveal yourself. And in the end, you will serve me."
Steven's eyes blazed with fire. "Then I'll burn your plans down to ash."
He extended his hand. "Astral Surge."
A pulse of cosmic energy exploded outward from his palm, tearing through the air like an unstoppable force of nature. It slammed into The Absence, but it didn't destroy it. Instead, the entity absorbed the energy—its form swelling, rippling, becoming larger with each second.
The ground trembled.
"You cannot destroy the void," The Absence boomed. "It is infinite. It is inevitable. And it will swallow you whole."
Steven's mind raced. He could feel the sheer despair of the creature. But there was something more. The Codex was calling to him.
His grip tightened on the Codex, and for a brief moment, time itself seemed to slow.
"What is it you want from me?"
The Absence stopped, as though surprised by the question. "To undo what you are. To erase your legacy. Your existence. To sever the link between you and the Codex, to reclaim the power that was never meant to be in the hands of a mortal."
Steven's eyes widened as the truth hit him.
"The Codex… it's not just a weapon, is it?"
The Absence's laughter echoed in his mind. "No, Steven Lethal. It is your curse. Your destiny. The last of the Starcasters, tied to the fragments of time itself. The true power of the Codex is to reforge reality."
A wave of understanding washed over him. He was never meant to be the end. He was meant to be the beginning—the key to reshaping the universe.
"No."
Steven shook his head. "I won't be your pawn."
His eyes flashed with resolve. He called upon the final spell of the Starcasters—the one locked away, hidden in the Codex itself, forbidden to all but the most powerful of mages.
"Chrono Erasure."
A storm of light and shadow erupted around him, a powerful arcane distortion tearing at the very fabric of space and time. The Codex shattered briefly, its energy flowing through him like a wild river.
And then—
Nothing.
The world froze.
The Absence staggered back, its form flickering. The air turned thick, as if it was struggling to breathe.
Steven gritted his teeth.
"I'm not here to reshape the world." His voice echoed, calm but full of deadly promise. "I'm here to destroy you. To stop your destruction."
The figure before him shrieked—a sound that tore through his mind. Its body began to warp, unraveling at the edges. The void was collapsing on itself.
"You cannot defeat the void!" it screamed, but its words were distorted by the unraveling of reality.
Steven stepped forward, his eyes filled with purpose. "Watch me."
With a final burst of energy, he ripped the void apart, the fragment of the Absence evaporating into nothingness.
For a moment, there was peace.
But the silence was deafening.
Steven breathed heavily, the power of the Codex still coursing through him.
"The temple is falling apart." He could feel it. The walls were buckling. The sky was cracking. The magic of the temple was unraveling, just like the Absence.
"I have to leave." He whispered to himself, turning quickly.
But before he could move, a voice, cold and clear, spoke from behind him.
"The Absence is only the beginning, Starcaster."
Steven's heart skipped a beat.
The Temple's walls rumbled as the voice echoed, unseen, but unmistakable.
"There are worse things than the Absence."
"And they are coming for you."
---
To be continued…