The air around me is thick with tension as Ryu, or rather Vitiate controlling him, convulses, his grip on Nikko faltering. Nikko falls to the ground, coughing, each breath raspy and choked. Vitiate stumbles back, Ryu's sword slipping from his hand and clattering to the floor. He clutches his head, his face twisting with agony.

  "How?" he cries out, his voice rough, strained. "How are you doing this?"

  My heart races. Is he talking about Nikko? I glance at her, lying on the ground, breathing heavily, her small frame shaking with fear. No... it's not her. Then it dawns on me, the realization striking me like a bolt of lightning.

  "Ryu," I whisper, my voice trembling with hope. He's fighting back.

  Vitiate lets out another scream as thick, black smoke begins to drift from his body, swirling and dissipating into the air. Then, with a surge of energy, a shockwave erupts from him, so forceful that I have to shield my eyes. The power rattles through the chamber, and when I finally look up, the form before me is different. It's him—Ryu.

  Across the cave, I see Vitiate, his true form, struggling to rise, his face twisted in anger. Relief floods over me, like a weight I hadn't known I was carrying finally lifting from my chest. Nikko stumbles to her feet, her face lighting up as she throws herself into Ryu's arms. She clings to him tightly, sobbing with joy.

  "How?" Vitiate's voice trembles with disbelief, his gaze locked on Ryu. "How did you cast me out? You shouldn't be able to."

  Ryu's eyes, though weary, are fierce as he meets Vitiate's gaze. "Because I am surrounded by those I care about. They give me strength and hope. As long as I breath I won't let you lay a finger on them!" He stretches his hand toward his shattered lightsaber on the ground, and with a quick flick of his fingers, the broken pieces fly to him, aligning together, forming back into his hilt. For a brief moment, it glows brightly, cracks and all, and then... it's whole again.

  My heart swells with pride and relief, watching him ignite the yellow blade. Its light fills the chamber, a beacon of hope, and I clutch my blaster, feeling courage surge through me as I stand, ready.

  Vitiate, however, sneers, recovering quickly. "No matter," he says coldly, his tone laced with malice. "I'll simply wear you down again... until nothing remains."

  Ryu hesitates, his gaze momentarily shifting, his expression tense, as though he's considering something. A chill races through me, fear biting at my resolve. Is he... is he actually considering surrender? He shuts off his lightsaber, clipping it back to his belt, and my heart lurches in panic.

  Vitiate's lips curl into a cruel smile. "Accepting your destiny?" he mocks.

  But before I can even voice my fear, Ryu moves with blinding speed, drawing his blaster and firing a blue ring of energy. It hits Vitiate square in the chest, causing him to stumble, though he doesn't collapse as I'd hoped. My stomach twists. If the stun rounds aren't working... what chance do we have?

  Undeterred, Ryu fires again, shot after shot, the blue rings pounding into Vitiate, each one pushing him further back. Finally, Vitiate drops to his knees, breathing heavily, his once-imposing figure diminished.

  "This will only slow me down," he hisses through labored breaths. "You're only wasting time."

  "I know," Ryu replies, raising his hands toward Vitiate. His face is strained, his eyes narrowing with intense focus.

  Confusion floods me. He's not attacking. He's... concentrating. And then it hits me, the realization striking hard. This is the stance he took when he transmuted the Crucible. My heart clenches in horror.

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  "Ryu, what are you doing?" My voice trembles, already knowing the answer, hoping desperately that I'm wrong.

  "I'm going to seal him away," he grunts, the effort already taking its toll on him. The strain is visible, his arms trembling as he focuses every ounce of energy toward Vitiate.

  I stagger back, the memory of how much transmuting the ship took from him flashing through my mind. "Ryu, it took almost everything you had just to transmute a ship. To transmute... him, it could..."

  "Kill me." He finishes my thought, his voice calm but firm, and he turns toward me, removing his mask and letting it fall to the ground. I see the tears glistening in his eyes, the quiet resolve on his face. He knows. And he's still choosing this path.

  "No, no..." The words slip from me, barely a whisper, horror flooding my veins. "There has to be another way."

  Nikko, beside me, lets out a heart-wrenching cry, reaching for him. "Papa, no!"

  Ryu looks over at her, his voice gentle but resolute. "Nikko, stay close to Talia."

  "Please, Ryu," I beg, tears streaming down my face, my heart shattering. "Don't do this. There has to be another way."

  But he only smiles, a soft, sad smile, and turns his gaze to Rebecca, lying in the distance, pale and bleeding, barely conscious but alive. He looks back at me, that smile unwavering. "I have to."

  "No, you don't!" My voice breaks, desperation clawing at me, but I know he's already made his decision.

  Suddenly, Vitiate, regaining his composure, stands and raises his arm, ready to strike. Ryu braces himself, prepared to take the full force of the attack when a blue ring of energy strikes Vitiate, causing him to stumble. I whirl around, spotting Apollo, his damaged arm raised, firing his wrist blaster relentlessly. Stun rings after stun rings slam into Vitiate, forcing him back, each impact giving Ryu a precious moment longer.

  Ryu nods to Apollo in gratitude before he turns to me and Nikko. His eyes meet mine, and I see everything he wants to say but can't.

  "I love you," he says, his voice filled with a finality that makes my heart ache.

  "Ryu please don't!" I cry out, my voice breaking.

  He smiles once more, then turns to face Vitiate. Raising both arms, he begins to concentrate, his body tensing as the effort of the transmutation already begins to wear on him. Vitiate, now on his knees, starts to glow faintly, a dark aura swirling around him. Ryu grits his teeth, blood trickling from his nose as he struggles, every muscle in his body straining under the weight of the power he's channeling.

  "Ryu!" I shout, barely able to see him through the intensifying glow. I know he can hear me, but he doesn't respond, his focus unyielding. His breaths come in short, ragged gasps, and I see that the strain is so immense, that his entire body begins to shake.

  Apollo doesn't stop his barrage, the blue rings slamming into Vitiate without pause, each one weakening him further. Vitiate's cries of pain grow louder, the dark aura around him pulsing erratically as Ryu's hold strengthens. The glow around Vitiate becomes blinding, a fierce light that fills the entire chamber. I shield my eyes, pulling Nikko close to me, her small body trembling in my arms.

  "Ryu!" I scream, one final desperate plea that echoes through the blinding light.

  Then, just as suddenly as it began, the light fades. Where Vitiate once stood, there is now only a large crystal, as dark as a midnight sky, pulsing with a faint, ominous aura.

  Ryu collapses forward, his body hitting the ground with a sickening thud. No sound, no movement—just the heavy silence that fills the room. My heart stops, dread flooding me. I rush to his side, dropping to my knees, flipping him over. His face is pale, his eyes closed, and when I press my fingers to his neck, there's no pulse.

  "No..." The word chokes in my throat, a sob tearing free as I shake him. "Ryu, wake up. You did it! Wake up!"

  Nikko is beside me, her little arms wrapping around him, her face buried into his shoulder as she sobs uncontrollably. "Papa... please, don't leave us. You promised!"

  Tears spill freely down my cheeks as I grab my pouch of holding, frantically pulling out healing potions. I open one, pouring it into his mouth, but he doesn't swallow. His body remains lifeless, his eyes shut, his skin cold. I try another, and another, each one slipping from his mouth, each one futile.

  Desperation claws at me, and I take the last potion into my own mouth, pressing my lips to his, willing it to work. But he doesn't move, doesn't breathe, his body a shell. My heart shatters as I pull back, staring at his face, my vision blurring through the tears.

  With one last, helpless sob, I pull him close, embracing him tightly, Nikko beside me, both of us clinging to him as if we could somehow keep him with us.

  "Please... don't go," I whisper, my voice breaking, lost in the suffocating silence.