The Loop of Darkness

Chapter Title: The Loop of Darkness

William moved through the Agency with the weary grace of a predator who had stalked countless prey. He dispatched the agents with practiced ease, their fleeting resistance a mere nuisance. In the end, only Zack remained, the boy's eyes wide with terror and a spark of something darker.

"Such potential," William mused, circling Zack with a predatory slowness. "The seed of corruption I planted has borne exquisite fruit."

Zack trembled, his voice barely a whisper. "What... what have you done to me?"

William chuckled, a dry, humorless sound. "Merely unlocked the power that slumbered within you, child. A power that will reshape this world."

"No... I don't want this," Zack whimpered, clutching at his chest as the darkness pulsed within him.

"Resistance is futile," William declared, his voice echoing with centuries of command. "Embrace the darkness, Zack. Unleash it upon this wretched world."

Zack's youthful defiance crumbled under the weight of William's will. With a strangled cry, he surrendered to the darkness, his body becoming a conduit for its devastating power. The shadows surged outwards, swallowing the planet in a suffocating embrace. Sunlight vanished, replaced by an oppressive gloom that chilled the soul.

Allon, hardened by countless battles, knew this darkness was different. It reeked of ancient malice, a corruption far older than anything he had ever encountered. He mourned the loss of Akutagawa, a valiant warrior felled by this insidious foe. But Allon would not falter. He would face this evil, even if it cost him his life.

"For Iskon!" Allon roared, his own power surging forth.

He engaged Zack in a titanic struggle, the clash of their energies sending shockwaves across the ravaged landscape. Allon's corruption proved stronger, his experience giving him the edge he needed to vanquish his foe. But victory came at a terrible price. Unleashing his full power without SEBAS's stabilizing influence proved fatal. Allon's body dissolved into nothingness, a sacrifice to the darkness.

William observed the scene with dispassionate eyes. This was but one move in a grand game, a game he had played countless times before. He turned towards a distant land, his gaze piercing through the veil of shadow.

"Time to visit an old friend," he murmured, his voice carrying the weight of forgotten eons.

With a gesture, he tore open a gateway to the Realm of Lexia, a place where the laws of reality bent and twisted. A wasteland of ash and bone stretched before him, the air heavy with a sense of dread.

From the gloom emerged a figure of unearthly beauty. She was Liza, yet not Liza, her features warped into a mask of malevolence.

"William," she greeted him, her voice a chilling symphony of whispers. "It has been an age."

"Indeed, my dear," William replied, bowing slightly. "I come seeking a boon, a small twist of fate that will set the stage for a most intriguing spectacle."

He shared his plan, his words laced with venomous delight. Liza listened intently, her eyes gleaming with dark amusement.

"Very well," she said, her voice like the rustling of dead leaves. "Your wish shall be granted."

William smiled, his ancient heart filled with a perverse satisfaction.

"And while you're at it," he added, his voice dripping with malice, "resurrect my dear brother, SEBAS. Let us see if he fares any better in this little game of ours."

With a final, mocking bow, he stepped back through the portal, leaving behind a world plunged into darkness, a world ripe for the next cycle of destruction and rebirth.

To be continued...