The Villain Professor's Second Chance

"Listen closely," I said, my voice cutting through the chaos as we moved, "the key to severing Zhaegor's link is in the runes on the altar. They're feeding it energy, and we need to find the right one to disrupt the connection."

Aurelia's fiery eyes darted toward me, her lips curling into a half-snarl. "So what, we're just gonna play rune roulette? You better have more than that, bastard."

"I do," I replied curtly. I glanced back at Lyan and Anastasia, watching them as they continued their diversion. Lyan's illusions moved gracefully across the battlefield, shadows mimicking warriors as they charged at Zhaegor, drawing its attention away from us.

Anastasia was doing her part as well, her voice resonating as she chanted, "Flammae Aurum: Vinculum Noctis!" The golden flames danced around Zhaegor, misleading it, holding its limbs back, buying us precious seconds.

The air was thick with the smell of smoke and sulfur, and the darkness of the chamber seemed to seep into my skin, chilling me despite the sweltering heat of Aurelia's flames. Her magic crackled beside me, the heat intense enough to feel like it was singeing my skin even through my cloak.

The energy of the abyss, of Zhaegor, and of Aurelia—it all blended into a chaotic symphony, one wrong step away from death.

We dodged the thrashing tentacles as we closed in on the altar, dark energy surging around us as Zhaegor's roar reverberated through the chamber. The runes on the altar glowed ominously, shifting and pulsing with dark energy. Each rune was intricate, layered with centuries of twisted magic, and I could feel the power radiating from them, almost as if the altar itself was alive.

"Timing is critical," I said, glancing at Aurelia. She was glaring at the altar, her eyes narrowed, her lips pursed into a thin line. "If we make a mistake, we could trigger something even worse."

She scowled, her gaze flicking to me for a split second. "No pressure then, huh? Just make sure you don't screw this up, Dravis." There was a hint of something else in her voice—not fear, but perhaps an acknowledgment of the stakes we faced. A rare moment where the weight of what we were doing seemed to press down on her.

We reached the walls of the altar, and I took a moment to study the intricate runes. Each symbol seemed to writhe, shifting beneath my gaze, and I could feel the sheer weight of the magic bound within them. Aurelia stood beside me, her impatience evident as she tapped her foot, her flames flickering with irritation.

"What are you waiting for?" she demanded. "Just pick the one that looks the most evil and start hacking at it."

"You don't understand," I muttered, my eyes darting across the runes. "These aren't just decorations. There are layers upon layers of intertwined spells. Each rune represents a seal, connected to Zhaegor and the energy from the Abyss. If we touch the wrong one, we could release something even more dangerous."

I could feel the gears of my mind turning, the cold efficiency that had always driven me coming to the forefront. The world around us seemed to fade for a moment as I focused, my vision narrowing on the symbols before me. The runes formed a pattern—a complex, almost musical rhythm. The energy they channeled flowed between them like a current, a steady pulse that kept Zhaegor's link alive.

"This altar..." I said, almost to myself, "It's not just a power source. It's a siphon—it's drawing energy from the Abyss and channeling it directly into Zhaegor. We need to sever that conduit."

Aurelia turned her head to look at me, her eyes widening slightly. "You're telling me you figured all that out just by staring at it for two seconds?"

I glanced at her briefly, then back to the runes. "Yes. Now be quiet. I need to concentrate."

For a moment, there was silence, save for the roar of Zhaegor and the clash of battle in the background. Aurelia's expression shifted slightly—it wasn't often that someone managed to surprise her. Her gaze lingered on me, almost as if she was seeing me in a different light, before she shook her head and muttered under her breath. "Damn bastard..."

I pinpointed the rune—the one acting as the conduit, the center of the energy flow. It was nestled within the others, the magic flowing through it like a heartbeat. I gestured to Aurelia, nodding toward it.

"That one," I said, my voice calm but firm. "We need to break that rune, but it's protected by a barrier. You need to weaken it so I can carve a disruption sigil into it."

Aurelia's lips curled into a determined grin. "Finally. Something to burn." She took a deep breath, her eyes closing for a split second before snapping open, the fire within them blazing brighter.

"Flammae Regalia: Ardere Vinctum!" She thrust her hands forward, her flames concentrating into a searing point of golden light, the heat so intense that the barrier around the rune shimmered and began to waver.

The air around us shimmered with heat, and the ground beneath our feet cracked from the intensity of her magic. The barrier protecting the rune pulsed, fighting back against the flames, but Aurelia pushed harder, her jaw set, sweat beading on her forehead.

"Hurry up, Dravis!" she growled through clenched teeth.

Without hesitation, I stepped forward, my mana-infused blade in hand. I could feel the power of my magic surging through me, dark and cold, a stark contrast to Aurelia's blazing heat. I pressed the tip of my blade to the rune, focusing my energy, channeling it through the weapon. Slowly, carefully, I began etching the disruption sigil into the core of the rune structure.

The process was delicate, each movement calculated, precise. I could feel the resistance of the magic beneath the surface, fighting against my efforts, but I pressed on. Aurelia's flames weakened the barrier just enough, creating a gap, and I worked quickly, my hand steady.

Suddenly, Zhaegor let out a guttural roar that reverberated through the chamber. The walls seemed to shake with the force of it, the very ground beneath us trembling as the beast turned its attention towards the altar.

Tentacles lashed out, and I could see them moving toward us, the massive limbs dripping with acid. Anastasia's voice cut through the chaos, her chant growing louder as she pushed her magic to its limit. "Umbrae Flammae: Vincula Caeli!" Her golden flames wrapped around the tentacles, holding them back, but the strain was clear on her face, her usually calm demeanor cracking under the pressure.

"Almost there," I muttered, my eyes focused on the rune, my hand moving with a speed that belied the care required. The resistance grew stronger, the magic beneath the surface fighting back against my intrusion. But I wouldn't be deterred. I wouldn't fail now. I pressed harder, channeling every ounce of my focus into the sigil.

With a final twist of my blade, the rune cracked, the dark energy within it surging outward in a burst of power. I stepped back, shielding my eyes as a massive pulse of energy exploded from the altar. The force of it pushed me backward, and I could feel the energy washing over me, a chaotic mix of dark and light.

The connection was severed. I could see it—Zhaegor's regeneration halting abruptly, the dark energy that had been sustaining it dissipating. The beast let out a roar of pain and fury, its massive form shuddering as it began to weaken, the abyssal energy no longer feeding it.

Aurelia stumbled backward, her flames dimming slightly as the energy pulsed through the chamber. She looked at me, her breathing heavy, her eyes wide with a mix of relief and disbelief. "Did... did we do it?"

"We severed the link," I replied, my voice steady despite the adrenaline still coursing through my veins. "But it's not over yet."

The altar began to crack, the runes glowing brightly before shattering entirely. The energy that had been contained within it surged outward, swirling and twisting, coalescing into a chaotic vortex at the center of the altar. A swirling portal of dark energy formed, its pull immediate and overwhelming.

The gravitational force was intense, the wind roaring as the portal pulled everything towards it. I tried to brace myself, planting my feet against the stone floor, but the pull was too strong. "Hold on!" I shouted, but my voice was lost in the chaos.

Aurelia's flames flared as she tried to anchor herself, her eyes wide with shock. "What the hell is happening?!" she shouted, her voice barely audible over the roar of the portal.

"The altar's collapsing," I yelled back, my grip slipping as the force of the portal grew stronger. "It's pulling everything in!"

One by one, I watched as the others were pulled toward the swirling darkness. Lyan's illusions dissipated, and he was dragged into the vortex, his expression one of grim acceptance. Anastasia struggled against the pull, her shadows wrapping around her like tendrils, but it wasn't enough. She was pulled in next, her voice barely a whisper as she disappeared into the darkness.

Aurelia was next, her flames flickering wildly as she fought against the force. She reached out, her eyes meeting mine for a split second—a moment of fear, of desperation. Then she was gone, her form vanishing into the swirling chaos.

The pull grew stronger, and I felt my own body being lifted from the ground. I tried to fight it, to hold on, but the force was too great. The last thing I saw before the darkness is the sight of Zhaegor, its massive form struggling against the pull of the portal. The darkness swallowed everything, and the chamber was filled with a deafening silence.

Then, nothing.

My vision blurred, and I felt myself losing consciousness. The last thing I heard was Anastasia's voice, a faint whisper in the void.

"W-Where is this...?"