The sky screamed. Honest, there's no better way to say it. When Ade's light slammed into the portal, this raw, ancient howl ripped through the world. The ground split open; houses cracked down their middles. Trees bent like they wanted to run away. And up above, the portal twisted, its angry red cracks shooting out in every direction.
"NO!" screamed the figure with burning red eyes. He lunged for Ade, but the light shoved him back hard. "You don't understand what you're doing!"
Now Ade was floating, just above the ground, light pouring off him so bright it hurt to look. He sounded almost quiet, calm. "I understand enough. This ends now."
The figure growled, his shape starting to split and flicker under all that power. "If the gate is destroyed… both worlds will suffer!"
Ade's eyes never left him. "Then we rebuild."
The light just kept building. The portal started collapsing fast—until suddenly, everything shifted. The darkness didn't just back away. This time, it punched back twice as hard. A wave of black energy surged out, bigger and angrier than anything before, and ripped into Ade. He screamed. The light around him sputtered. His body started shaking, hard.
"You cannot hold it!" the figure yelled. "You are not strong enough!"
Ade clenched his jaw, fighting for breath. His strength poured out of him, faster than he could catch it. Down in the village, Baba Ikuomola stared up in horror. "He's losing control."
His mother dropped to her knees. "Ade… please…"
The light sputtered, weaker. The portal steadied, its cracks shrinking. The red-eyed figure laughed. "You see? It is inevitable!"
Ade could barely see—his vision full of white spots, his body screaming at him to let go. "I… can't…"
Another wave of darkness crashed into him. It felt bottomless, cold, endless.
Then—a voice, close and soft. "You are not alone."
His eyes snapped wide. The light flickered, but instead of fading, it caught—sparks jumping from one spot to another, spreading. Down below, the villagers got to their feet. They found each other's hands, started praying, started believing. Baba Ikuomola's voice rang out. "Stand with him!"
The people answered. Their voices rose—not terrified, but fierce, together. Ade felt them, all their hope, all their strength, pouring straight into him. His mother looked up, tears shining in her eyes. "My son… fight!"
Ade's breath slowed. The light gathered up, steadied, deepened. He balled his fists, clinging to their voices. "I'm not alone…"
The red-eyed figure stumbled back. "No… this can't be…"
Ade lifted his head. His eyes shone, clear and bright as the dawn. "You were wrong."
Light—so much light—blew out of him, blinding, unstoppable. Darkness retreated, smashed and broken, swallowed up. The portal shuddered. This time, it started to really fall apart. The red-eyed figure shrieked. "You cannot destroy us! We will return!"
Ade's voice didn't shake. "Not today."
A final surge burst upward. The portal cracked wide open. It shattered and vanished with a scream. The darkness whirled, pulled back until not even a shadow was left. The Night People evaporated, gone in seconds. The red-eyed figure clutched at nothing, then disappeared.
Silence dropped. Real, thick quiet. The sky faded back to blue. The wind died. The ground stopped trembling. And Ade, spent, fell out of that last glow.
Baba Ikuomola ran. "Ade!"
His mother was right behind him, stumbling but stubborn. They dropped to the ground, found Ade barely moving. "Ade…" she whispered, holding him like she'd never let go. No answer. Baba checked him, searching for something—anything. The whole village just froze, watching, holding their breath.
Then—Ade drew in a tiny breath. His chest rose and fell. His mother gasped for air, relief and hope and joy all tangled together. "He's alive…"
He blinked up at her, exhausted but there. He managed a tiny smile. "Mama…"
She just cried, holding him tighter. "My son…"
Baba Ikuomola let out a deep sigh, relief in every line of his face. "It's over…"
Ade's eyes drifted closed, worn out but safe. This time, sleep came easy.