Thronebreaker: The One Who Devours Names-Chapter 39: The Shattering Point

The figure in the distance loomed larger with each passing moment, its presence filling the air with a pressure that was almost unbearable. Raen's heartbeat quickened, the rhythm echoing in his ears as he felt the raw, unrelenting force of the approaching entity. The ground beneath his feet shuddered, and the air itself seemed to warp and bend around the figure, as though reality itself was being reshaped.

Lyra, standing beside him, was eerily calm. Her gaze was fixed on the creature in the distance, her expression unreadable. There was no fear in her eyes, no hesitation. But there was something else—something far darker than he had ever seen in her. A sense of inevitability, as though she had seen this moment countless times before.

"Lyra..." Raen's voice cracked, but he pushed the words out. "What is this? What is that thing?"

The figure took another step forward, and Raen felt the ground beneath his feet tremble in response. The distance between them seemed to shrink, the very air becoming thick and suffocating. And then, in the blink of an eye, it was upon them.

The creature was monstrous, its form obscured by swirling darkness, but there were glimpses of something grotesque beneath the shadow. A massive figure with multiple limbs, each one dripping with an unearthly energy. Its face was an abomination—a twisted mockery of human features, with eyes that glowed like burning embers. The air around it was thick with an aura of death, and Raen could feel the weight of its malice pressing down on him.

Lyra finally turned to face him, her expression softening, but there was a deep sadness in her eyes. "Raen... it's time."

Raen swallowed, the weight of her words crashing over him. "Time for what?"

"You have to make a choice," she said, her voice steady despite the chaos around them. "The power you sought... it comes at a cost. And you've already paid part of it. But now, you face the final price."

Raen's stomach twisted as the realization hit him like a punch to the gut. He had always known there would be a cost. He had never believed there was a way to escape it, to avoid it. But the true price was something he had never fully understood until now. Until this moment.

The creature loomed closer, its shadow stretching out like tendrils seeking to devour the world around them. Raen felt his Shatterborn powers surge, but it wasn't enough. The power of this entity was beyond anything he had ever encountered. It was beyond gods, beyond the demons, beyond everything he had ever faced. It was the embodiment of destruction itself, and it seemed to be drawing strength from the very air they breathed.

Raen gritted his teeth, willing himself to focus. His mind raced, trying to form a plan, trying to find a way out. But nothing came. He was trapped. There was no escape.

And then, the creature spoke.

"You," its voice was a low growl, as though the very earth itself was speaking. "The one who devours names... You have come far. Too far."

Raen's blood ran cold. The words pierced through him like a blade. It knew who he was. It knew everything about him. This thing—this monster—was no mere foe. It was something older, something beyond his comprehension.

"I... I don't care who or what you are," Raen snarled, his hands crackling with Shatterborn energy. "I will destroy you."

The creature's laugh echoed through the air, a sound that sent shivers down Raen's spine. It was a laugh full of malice, full of mocking amusement. "Destroy me? You cannot even comprehend the depth of your own power, let alone challenge me."

Raen clenched his fists tighter, his veins burning with the power of the Shatterborn. He wouldn't let this creature, this abomination, intimidate him. He had fought too hard to be crushed now.

"I've faced gods," Raen growled, his voice growing stronger. "And I've destroyed them."

The creature's eyes gleamed with an unsettling hunger. "Gods? You think you have faced gods? What you've slain are mere fragments. And now you will face the origin."

Raen's heart skipped a beat. The origin? What did that mean? The words echoed in his mind as the creature took another step forward, its presence growing ever more oppressive.

Lyra's hand shot out, her fingers trembling. "Raen, don't listen to it. This thing feeds on your doubt. Your fear. It's the embodiment of the Shattering. It will twist your mind until there's nothing left."

Raen's breath hitched as the words sunk in. The Shattering? He had heard the term before, but he had never truly understood its meaning. Was this... was this what he had been fighting for all along?

The creature, sensing his confusion, let out another low chuckle. "You don't know, do you? You think you're free? You think you've chosen your own path? You're part of the Shattering itself. You were always destined to bring about the end."

Raen shook his head, refusing to believe the creature's words. But doubt gnawed at him, and for the first time in a long while, he questioned everything. Had he truly been free? Or was he simply a pawn in a game much larger than himself?

Lyra stepped forward, her eyes filled with a burning intensity. "Raen, you are not a pawn. You have always had the power to choose. The Shattering is not your destiny—it's your curse. And you are not bound to it. Not yet."

The creature roared in fury, its limbs stretching out like blackened tendrils, lashing toward them. Raen barely had time to react as the darkness surged toward him, a wave of annihilation that seemed to swallow the world whole.

In that moment, he saw his choices laid out before him: to fight with everything he had, to defy the fate that had been thrust upon him, or to succumb to the inevitable, to become part of the Shattering and bring about the end.

Raen's hands trembled as he felt the weight of that choice press down on him. The shadows closed in, but something deep inside him roared to life. A flicker of light, the smallest spark, ignited within him.

This was his moment.

And then, everything shattered.

The world crumbled.

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Just as Raen made his move, the ground beneath him gave way, and he was plunged into darkness. His senses were ripped away, and for a split second, he felt completely unmoored from reality. frёeωebɳovel.com

And then, in the endless abyss, a voice whispered—no, screamed—in his mind.

"You are not free."

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To be continued...