For a single, suspended moment, the world they were in held its breath.
Henry and Darius stood frozen before the Archmage—if that towering abomination truly was what it claimed to be— thought Henry, he could only imagine what power an ancient being like himself could weild.
But before the thought could settle, Darius moved; as though seized by something deeper than instinct, he stepped forward, his silence heavier than fear itself. Flames ignited in his hands once more—brighter, fiercer, alive with a violence that felt almost deliberate.
"Darius—" Henry started.
But it was already too late the fire erupted from his hands, a jet of blazing fury tore through the air, roaring toward the Archmage—who did not even flinch, did not move, did not so much as acknowledge what was coming.
And then the flames struck.
Fire roared up his colossal form in a violent bloom, coiling and climbing like a living storm, until he was swallowed wholly. In seconds, its monstrous silhouette was lost beneath the inferno, transformed into a blazing pillar that clawed at the darkness like a tower of wrath given life.
Henry staggered back, his eyes wide, his breath caught somewhere between awe and terror as he stared at the blazing inferno.
"What have you done?!" he shrieked, his voice cracking as he turned toward Darius, who was breathing heavily after pulling his attack, hands trembling, stretched forward, probably his last he could make.
"That was foolish, I know," Darius said between breaths, not once looking away from the flames. "But look at that thing, warlock. I don't know much about ancient myths or any such stuff, but whoever locked it here—gods or not—had their reasons, and whatever that reason is, it must be something we don't want to find out about!"
"Hhhhhh..."
The terrifying laughter boomed from the fire as the flames dying, revealing the Archmage not even reeking smoke from his burnt solid structure.
"Humans have never stopped being foolish," his voice boomed again. "We long tapped into the power of the elements before you, cunning mortals."
In horror filled gaze, Henry and Darius couldn't believe it when the Archamage summoned fire on his skeletal like hands, balling the red crimson flames between his two hands, as they increase exponentially.
"This is for turning down my offer!"
He unleashed a torrent of flames at them, and unlike Darius's, his fire was already devilish and far more expansive. They stared in horror as the crimson blaze surged forward, threatening to engulf them completely.
"Maybe that wasn't a very good idea!" Darius bellowed desperately.
As the flames crashed toward them, Henry thrust his hands forward and cast a spell that formed a shimmering shield around them, enclosing them within a thin blue membrane as the relentless fire battered against it.
Henry screamed as the overwhelming force of the raging flames strained his body and threatened to break his defense. Gradually, the firestorm began to subside, and as the last embers faded, Henry lowered the shield, only to realize that the Archmage was already standing directly before them.
The creature's massive, terrifying hands shot forward and gripped both of them by the neck, lifting them effortlessly until they were level with his hollow eye sockets. He applied almost no force, yet they could feel the terrifying truth that, with even the slightest increase in pressure, their necks would snap instantly.
"Fools!" he bellowed. "Now I see what lies in your minds, and I regret ever granting such a glorious chance to a rogue Karnie and a warlock who fell in battle. You are despicable creatures," he added coldly.
"We weren't going to take your stupid offer anyway!" Darius shot back with forced wit, though he regretted it almost instantly as the Archmage tightened his grip around his throat, making his eyes bulge and his face turn red while his limbs grew weak.
"You will be the first mortal I have killed in ten thousand years," the Archmage bellowed as his grip slowly tightened.
Darius was dying, or close to it, and Henry saw it clearly. The overwhelming presence of the Archmage had clouded his thoughts, but in that moment, he realized that if he did not act with everything he had, they would both die there, just as Darius had feared earlier.
_Dark tales of the ancients_ Henry recited through his strained sorcerer's tongue, dark matter began to gather in his hand. _I hereby summon the undead to rise and aid me in this darkest hour_
For warlocks learning forbidden magic was one of their lore but in his Sect, it was more of a theory not something they were trained to do but for the first time he tried a dark spell and it actually worked.
"What is that?" the Archmage asked as his gaze fell upon the dark matter forming in Henry's hands, but it was already too late, for Henry had released it into the bone yard below.
The Archmage stared at the spot where the dark mass struck, yet nothing seemed to happen.
He turned his attention back to Henry, but before he could speak, the ground beneath them suddenly erupted as countless bones burst upward, rising in violent motion. Not one or two, but dozens of skeletal forms clawed their way out, climbing onto the Archmage's colossal body.
The remains of dead soldiers, wizards, and civilians swarmed over him in chaotic frenzy, and in his moment of confusion, his grip on Henry and Darius loosened until he finally released them. They dropped to the ground, gasping for breath as air rushed painfully back into their lungs.
"What—what the hell was that?" Darius managed to say as the color slowly returned to his face.
"Let's go!" Henry said urgently, turning away as the Archmage struggled against the overwhelming mass of skeletons climbing over him.
"Now what?" Darius asked once they had put some distance between themselves and the Archmage. "Have you figured out that flying spell yet?"
"No!" Henry snapped. "We cannot fly out of here, because the Archmage is now the master of the Circle. Now that he is free and there are no Vomeks left to suppress his magic, everything here belongs to him."
"What are you trying to say, warlock?" Darius shot back. "Do we need his permission just to escape?"
"That… is something we are not going to get," Henry muttered grimly. "We will have to kill him somehow."
Meanwhile, every undead creature Henry had summoned was being crushed and torn apart by the Archmage with terrifying ease.
"Stupid trick!" the Archmage bellowed as he held a skull in his massive hand, making it appear absurdly small against his immense size. He crushed it into fine dust before lifting his gaze back toward them, his attention once again locked onto his prey.