Althirion and his group had nearly reached the pillar when it began to hum with a low, ominous resonance. The black veins running along its surface pulsed violently, glowing like fractures in reality—raw, seething power threatening to consume the world. The aura it unleashed struck like a tidal wave, slamming into everyone present. Most were forced to their knees, some flat onto the cold stone floor. Only Elias and Elaria managed to remain standing, but even they were paralyzed, unable to summon a single spark of magic. The pressure grew unbearable, a crushing force that pressed down like the weight of mountains. Then, arcs of black lightning crackled to life, snapping across the chamber in jagged bursts. Silence reigned, broken only by the thunderclaps and the dreadful, rising hum of energy.

Just as it felt like the pillar would erupt and consume them all, there came a deafening crack, like the heavens splitting open. The oppressive aura vanished instantly. The pillar, once an obsidian monolith, crumbled into black dust that drifted gently through the air like ash. At its center stood a figure, a pale, hairless humanoid with a long neck, needle-like teeth, and glowing orange eyes with serpentine slits. His body was unnaturally smooth, as though carved from stone and animated by some terrible will. Unlike the corpses they'd seen in the other pillars, marked by ancient runes, this one was alive. His eyes darted with sentience, and a malicious intelligence radiated from his thin-lipped smile.

Ankhet had returned.

He cast his gaze over the chamber, indifferent to the soldiers still trembling or sprawled on the floor. No one dared move. The aura he now exuded was colder, darker, and more malevolent than anything they had ever felt, an oppressive force of pure malice. With a deep, almost euphoric breath, Ankhet seemed to absorb the atmosphere itself, savoring his rebirth. But then something shifted. His body spasmed slightly, his expression flickering with confusion, perhaps a sign that the original soul within the body was resisting. For a brief moment, two presences seemed to war within him. Then, it was over. His eyes cleared, and a cruel grin spread across his face once more.

“So... master didn’t do this out of kindness,” he muttered to himself, voice soft and venomous.

Movement stirred in the back ranks, those less affected by the pillar's aura slowly rose to their feet, cautious not to draw his attention. Ankhet's gaze swept across them lazily before his tone darkened.

“Why are my sacrifices not bound and gagged? Were my commands unclear?” he asked, each word dripping with menace. His voice sent chills crawling down every spine.

“Run!” Althirion shouted suddenly, springing to his feet and bolting toward the nearest exit. That was all it took. Panic erupted as everyone scrambled to flee the chamber, some stumbling, others limping, but all desperate to escape the nightmare before them.

Ankhet laughed, a deep, guttural chuckle that echoed like a death knell. “A hunt. Right after my resurrection. How delightful.”

He turned to the nearby vampires, his grin widening.

“Go. Hunt down every last one of the living who dared step into my palace. The one who brings me the most heads shall be richly rewarded.”

With a blur of motion, Ankhet launched himself at a fleeing warrior. The man activated a movement skill, vanishing in a flash, only to find Ankhet already waiting in front of him. Ankhet seized him by the throat, laughing maniacally. Under his grip, the man’s skin began to rot and decay, spreading like wildfire. He screamed in agony, thrashing helplessly as the life was drained from him. The chamber echoed with his death cries.

Ankhet did not stop. He raised his hand, unleashing black lightning that arced toward other nearby fighters. While not overwhelming in raw power, the energy carried a curse far more insidious, it rotted flesh, twisted nerves, and ignited excruciating pain. Those struck by it collapsed, writhing and screaming on the floor, their skin blistering and decaying. Ankhet howled with laughter, throwing bolt after bolt as chaos consumed the chamber.

Meanwhile, Vorlok was already paddling furiously up the tunnel, Evelyn close behind with Jakob and Annie. They didn’t look back. The presence of Ankhet was simply wrong, a corrupt force that didn’t belong in the realm of the living. As they escaped, they spotted Kargul lying lazily on the floor, apparently unbothered, while Jack, Josh, and Jakob stood tensely before the tall, sealed red flower where Thalion lay hidden.

“How do we get him out of there?” Evelyn shouted, panic rising in her voice. The worst-case scenario had unfolded, and she was struggling to hold herself together.

“I’ll give the flower a good slap. That should do the trick,” Kargul replied, surprisingly cheerful now that he had recovered somewhat. He strolled toward the flower, confident in his plan, until a thick red vine shot out from the trunk, forcing him to dive out of the way.

The vine crackled with lethal power. Had it struck his chest, it would’ve killed him instantly. The flower was guarding Thalion, and it wasn’t ready to let him go just yet.

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“Okay... maybe not like that,” Kargul muttered, scrambling backward as he cautiously eyed the retreating vine. It slithered back into the flower’s thick, crimson trunk, vanishing like a serpent into its burrow.

Behind them, the sounds of chaos surged closer, footsteps pounding, armor clattering, and the echoing screams of those caught by the undead. Fighters fled up the tunnel, pushing their movement skills to the limit. Yet no one wanted to abandon Thalion, not even in the face of death.

“Let’s try this!” Annie cried, launching an ice spike directly at the flower's crown. In response, multiple thorned vines burst from the stalk, weaving into a tight, organic mesh that shielded the blossom.

“No! Damn it! It can’t end like this!” Annie screamed, unleashing a flurry of icy javelins in blind desperation. Bloodthorns lashed out from the flower, and she barely rolled aside in time to avoid being impaled.

“We could try a bomb,” Jack suggested, though uncertainty laced his voice. His eyes flicked to the tunnel behind them, where distant shadows were closing in.

“Are you insane? That could kill him!” Evelyn snapped, her voice sharp with panic.

“What do you want me to do? I’m panicking too!” Jack retorted, his desperation cracking through his usual calm.

“Let’s attack from different angles, see if that helps,” Annie said, grasping at whatever hope she could find.

Jakob summoned an earthen spike from the front while Annie hurled icicles from behind. Josh darted around, trying to slash into the base with a blade of wind. But the flower responded instantly, its vines wrapped tightly around each targeted area, creating a natural armor that deflected their blows. Then came the counterattack. Bloodthorns fired in quick succession, first at Josh, then Annie, and finally Jakob, who was forced to retreat under the relentless assault.

“Why can’t we just cut down this stupid plant?!” Jakob shouted in frustration.

“We need to leave,” Kargul called, now sprawled across Vorlok’s shell. “The first vampires are closing in.”

They exchanged reluctant glances. None of them wanted to leave Thalion behind, but time was gone, and they were out of options. With heavy hearts, they nodded in grim agreement.

“You know what, Jack?” Evelyn said coldly, her voice like ice. “Let’s leave those bloodsuckers a little gift.”

No one questioned her. When Evelyn was angry, people listened.

They summoned the bombs, placing them carefully near the chamber’s entrance, as far from Thalion as possible. They wouldn’t risk him, but they’d make the vampires pay. Next, slow-moving, floating torpedoes were launched back down the corridor, gliding toward the heart of the catacomb. The distant sounds of combat still echoed, some fighters had stayed behind, buying time. It seemed Ankhet had chosen to hunt the elves instead of following their route. That could mean he’d reach the surface before them if they weren’t quick.

“You all head out. I’m going back to help the others,” Josh said, exhaling deeply.

“Yeah, we’ll catch up. We’re faster anyway,” Jack added, stepping beside him.

“We’ll hold the Black Fortress as long as we can,” Annie whispered, eyes glistening. After a few rushed hugs and tearful goodbyes, the others turned and continued their ascent, Jakob jumping onto Vorlok’s back, his earth-bound movement skills useless in the tunnel’s design.

Jack and Josh didn’t hesitate. They sprinted back into the pillar chamber to help those left behind. Guilt churned in their stomachs, they had fled before without a second thought. Ankhet’s presence had been so vile, so wrong, that fear had overwhelmed reason. Now, they hoped to make amends before the torpedoes reached their destination and blew the chamber to shreds.

When they arrived, the chamber was eerily empty save for twenty desperate humans forming a makeshift line against a dozen cackling vampires. The undead were reveling in the slaughter, tearing through their prey with wicked glee. One muscled man lay slumped in the arms of a vampiress, his body limp, her fangs buried deep in his neck as his arms flailed weakly.

Jack acted first. With a flicker of thought, he teleported above them and flattened a group of vampires with a devastating telekinetic wave. Josh followed, blurring between the undead like a phantom, slicing through them with precise, brutal efficiency. A few tried to fight back, but it was too little, too late. Together, the two warriors overwhelmed them in a storm of vengeance.

“Thanks...” one of the battered soldiers began to say, but Jack cut him off, already pouring a healing potion down the throat of a wounded comrade.

“No time. Grab the injured and move. Did Ankhet and the rest really chase after the elves?” Jack asked sharply.

“Yes,” a nearby mage confirmed. “Once Ankhet turned his attention toward them, the vampires followed. They barely noticed us after that.”

“What a waste of bombs, I can't put them back anymore.” Jack muttered, shaking his head as they began their climb. They could only hope they'd make it out before the elves and before Ankhet returned to finish what he’d started.