The silence that followed Valec's eruption of power was deafening.
Amina stood frozen, her heart racing, as she watched the god—the one who had once ruled with such unquestionable authority—stumble back, his form flickering like a candle's flame in a storm. His eyes, burning with wrath and confusion, met hers for the briefest of moments before shifting to Valec, who now stood resolute, his entire being radiating with an intensity that seemed to scorch the very air around him.
"You are nothing," the god snarled, his voice laced with venom, though there was a tremor of fear beneath it. "A mere mortal. A fool to defy the will of the gods."
Valec's eyes narrowed as his hands clenched into fists. "Then you will learn just how much a fool I am."
With a roar that shook the heavens themselves, Valec surged forward, his energy crackling around him like a violent storm. His power was no longer a flicker—it was a force of nature, raw and untamed. He was the storm now, the flames of his fury licking the edges of the very world itself.
The god, for all his power, staggered back, his form flickering more violently now, as though the strength he once commanded was no longer enough to withstand Valec's rising might. "You... you cannot defeat us. We are eternal!"
Amina's breath caught in her throat. The words rang true, in part. The gods were eternal, yes, but Valec was no longer the weak, bound creature they had created. He had broken free. He had learned to wield his own power. And that made him more dangerous than any god could ever anticipate.
The boy—who had been silent until now—stepped forward, his eyes fixed on the chaos unfolding before them. "The gods are not eternal in the way they believe," he murmured, almost to himself. "They are bound by their own arrogance. Their downfall will come, not from strength, but from a choice."
Amina's mind raced. A choice. What did he mean by that?
She turned her gaze back to Valec, who was now standing at the epicenter of a maelstrom of energy, his body crackling with raw, uncontained power. She could see the conflict in his eyes—his rage, his pain, his fear. He was no longer a servant to the gods, but in his freedom, he had become something else entirely. A force that could either destroy or save them all.
"Valec!" she called, her voice cutting through the chaos. "You don't have to destroy them! You have the power to end this—without killing everything we've fought for!"
Valec's head jerked up, his gaze locking onto hers. For a moment, it was as though time itself slowed. She could see the storm in his eyes—the storm that raged within him—and she knew that in this moment, the choice was his to make.
The god, sensing Valec's hesitation, seized the opportunity to strike. With a flash of golden light, he raised his hand, and the air itself seemed to crackle with power. A bolt of lightning shot toward Valec, intent on obliterating him, but Valec didn't flinch. He didn't even move.
Instead, he raised his own hand, and with a defiant shout, he deflected the god's lightning with a surge of power so immense that it shattered the very ground beneath them. The force of it sent a shockwave through the air, and Amina had to brace herself against the impact.
"You cannot stop what you do not understand," the god hissed, his voice low and menacing. "You are nothing. A fool who dares to challenge the divine. You will regret this."
But Valec didn't seem to hear him. His gaze was fixed on something far deeper, something within himself. The boy's words echoed in his mind: The gods are not eternal—they are bound by their own arrogance. The choice was his.
The god's power surged again, this time in a storm of fire and light. The world around them began to distort, the edges of reality warping as the god drew on every ounce of his ancient power.
And that's when it hit Amina—the god's power was his prison. He needed to feed on their fear, their despair. He was a creature born from chaos, and without it, he would cease to exist.
The realization came like a burst of clarity. Valec didn't need to defeat the god through strength. He didn't need to burn the world down to nothing. He needed to sever the very foundation of the god's power—the fear, the chains, the lies.
She turned to Valec, her voice desperate. "Valec, stop. You have the power to end this, but not through destruction. You must destroy their hold over you. Don't fight them with fury—fight them with truth!"
For a long, tense moment, Valec stood still, his eyes closed, his chest rising and falling with each labored breath. Then, with a sudden, violent movement, he released a wave of pure energy—a surge of clarity, of truth that seemed to resonate through the very air.
The god's eyes widened in disbelief. "No—this cannot be!"
But it was too late. The god's form began to fracture, his light dimming with each passing second, as though the truth Valec had unleashed was unraveling everything the god had built. The energy crackled and split, sending shockwaves through the air as the god's grip on the world shattered.
"Choose," Amina said, her voice steady but filled with emotion. "Choose who you will be, Valec. The past is gone, the gods are fading. This is your moment."
Valec's eyes opened again, and for the first time in what seemed like forever, he smiled—a smile filled with pain, but also with something else. A glimmer of hope.
And then, with one final surge of energy, the god screamed as he collapsed into nothingness. The storm that had raged above them began to dissipate, and the air grew still.
But the world was not yet saved. It had only just begun to heal.
Valec's power faded, but Amina could see the shift in him—he was different now. The chains that had once held him were gone, and he was free. The weight of the gods had lifted, and the choice was his to make.
And in that moment, the choice was clear.