The ground split open under Ade's feet as he ran, and with every step, he felt the earth gripping at his ankles, trying to drag him down. The center of the village drew him in, but so did something huge overhead. The portal was massive now—a swirling beast of darkness tangled with red lightning, ripping at the sky like a cut that refused to heal.
He stopped right beneath it. The air was so loud it hurt. Wind whipped around him, tearing up dust, leaves, scraps of wood, spinning everything into chaos.
"This is it…" he whispered.
Chaos erupted behind him—screams as even more Night People crashed into the village. He didn't look back. He couldn't. This moment was everything.
A deep, booming voice thundered from above. "You have returned."
Ade stared up. The red-eyed figure floated down from the portal, drifting through the storm like he owned the place. "I told you," it called, "we would meet again."
Ade tightened his fists until his knuckles ached. "This ends now."
When the figure touched down, the ground trembled. "No," it replied, calm as ever. "This begins now."
Energy poured out of the portal, more chaotic than before. The space between worlds was cracking apart. Ade felt the pull digging into his chest, connecting him to everything collapsing above. He gasped, "It's using me…"
The figure just grinned. "Of course. You are the gate."
He shut his eyes for half a second, found whatever courage he had left, and looked up. "Then I'll shut it."
That smile twisted. "You still don't understand. The gate cannot be closed…" The words grew cold. "…only destroyed."
Ade met that stare, unwavering. "Then I'll destroy it."
There was a pause—sharp, tense. The smile died. "Even if it kills you?"
Ade didn't blink. "If that's what it takes."
Wind roared louder, shaking everything. The figure's red eyes swept over him, considering. Then, a slow, final nod. "So be it."
The fight exploded—no warning, no time. The figure moved in a blur, shadows lashing out. It hit Ade straight on; he blocked, but the impact hurled him across the ground. He tumbled, hit hard, scrambled back up. Another blow nailed him in the side, slamming him into a ruined wall. He felt pain everywhere, sharp and raw.
"You are strong," the figure said, all confidence as it walked toward him. "But not enough."
Blood smeared Ade's mouth. He wiped it away, bracing himself. "We'll see."
He gathered every ounce of strength—light erupted from his hands. He blasted it at the figure. The attack hit, slowing the thing down for a moment, but it marched straight through, barely fazed.
Ade's heart hammered. "It's not enough…"
Dark energy bloomed in the figure's hand. It unleashed a spike of power—Ade dove aside just in time, the ground where he'd stood now a smoking crater.
"You cannot defeat me with power alone," the figure told him.
Ade's breath shuddered. Then, something surfaced in his mind—his father's words: Your strength is not in power… it is in choice.
He froze. He heard it. Let it sink in.
Slowly, he lowered his hands.
The figure hesitated. "What are you doing?"
Ade held still. He let himself think. "You're right," he said. "I can't beat you like this."
The figure stepped closer, expecting surrender. "Then accept your fate."
Ade glanced up at the portal, then back down. "No."
He drew in a deep breath. "I don't have to beat you."
The figure scowled. "What nonsense is this?"
Ade took a step forward. "All I have to do is end the gate."
The figure barely moved before Ade tore off, sprinting straight for the epicenter beneath the portal.
The figure shouted, "What are you doing?!"
Ade didn't let up. The pull turned brutal, lifting him off his feet, wrapping him in raw energy. Pain flooded his nerves, but he pushed harder.
"You can't destroy it!" the figure screamed, hurtling after him. "It'll destroy you!"
Ade almost laughed, breathless. "I know."
He hit the very center. Pure power slammed into him. The air shrieked. The sky threatened to rip apart. He got one last look at the world—his parents, the village, every memory flickered through him. He closed his eyes.
"I choose…" Light burst out of him, bigger than ever, so bright it left nothing else. "…to end this."
The figure lunged—a furious, desperate "NO!"—but it was over. Ade let everything go. Light rocketed up, straight into the heart of the portal. The sky shattered. The portal began to fold in on itself. The darkness screamed. The Night People stopped cold. The whole world trembled.