The master spy or Puss in the boot adventures

Lyra, the Goddess of Dreams 35, Part 165

As Tartarus's malevolent presence faded, the very fabric of his twisted realm began to unravel. The once impenetrable shadows that had bound the cavernous chamber now dissipated like smoke, revealing a sky above them that flickered between the inky blackness of Tartarus and the golden hues of their own world. The ground trembled and groaned underfoot as if the earth itself mourned the loss of its dark master.

And then it was over. The light faded, and Moira crumpled to the ground, her staff clattering from her lifeless fingers. Alric rushed to her side, gathering her into his arms as tears streamed down his face. She looked so peaceful, so serene, as if she were merely sleeping. But he knew the terrible truth - she was gone, her life given in the ultimate sacrifice to protect those she loved.

Around them, the chamber began to tremble and shake, cracks spiderwebbing across the walls as the very fabric of the Shadow Realm started to unravel. Without Tartarus to maintain its dark power, the realm was collapsing in on itself, the shadows dissipating like mist under the morning sun.

"We have to get out of here!" Colin shouted, her voice thick with grief and urgency. "The whole place is coming down!"

Alric nodded numbly, gently laying Moira's body down on the cold stone. He turned to the obsidian dais where the Shadow Soul still pulsed with dark energy, its surface seeming to drink in the light around it.

"We must go," Odin urged, his voice tight with grief and urgency. "The rift won't last long." He gestured to the shimmering tear in reality that had brought them here. Through it, they could see glimpses of their beloved Enchanted Forest, its lush greenery a stark contrast to their nightmarish surroundings.

Alric glanced down at Moira's lifeless form one more time, the weight of her sacrifice pressing upon him like an unbearable burden. "We can't leave her here," he whispered hoarsely.

Colin shook her head, though her eyes were dry now, replaced by steely determination. "She made her choice, Alric. We have to honor it."

With heavy hearts, they turned to face the obsidian dais one final time. The Shadow Soul still pulsed with dark energy, its sinister allure now tainted by Moira's selfless act of bravery. Each step they took towards it felt like wading through quicksand, as if the very essence of Tartarus struggled against their escape.

With a heavy heart, Odin reached out and grasped the Shadow Soul, feeling its icy touch seep into his very bones. The artifact pulsed with malevolent energy, its surface swirling with tendrils of inky darkness. But there was no time to hesitate - they had to use its power to escape this crumbling realm before it was too late.

Odin nodded and approached the dais cautiously, his gnarled fingers trembling only slightly as he reached for the Shadow Soul. The moment his hand touched its smooth surface, a wave of black energy surged up his arm, searing like ice and fire combined. Gritting his teeth, he pulled the dark artifact free from its pedestal - and in that instant, everything changed.

The shadows swirling around him coalesced and twisted into nightmarish forms, lashing out at him with claws of smoke and malice. Moans of torment and cries of agony filled the air as the past sins of his life flashed before his eyes, assaulting him with memories he had long ago sought to bury: betrayals, lies, lives lost on the battlefield - all of them swirling together in a maelstrom of despair.

"Mine," Odin said greedy, stepping forward to claim the ancient power for himself." Mine , forever!" 

 His companions exchanged worried glances but knew there was no time for argument; they had to seize this opportunity to return home or be trapped forever in Tartarus' crumbling realm.

Odin reached out and raised the Shadow Soul - and immediately recoiled with a cried as dark tendrils lashed out and wrapped themselves around his wrist like hungry snakes. Colin and Roku rushed to his aid, but Alric held them back with a raised hand.

"No," he said heavily. "This is something he must face alone."

Odin stood before them, his eyes blazing with an unholy light. Shadows swirled around him like a cloak of living darkness, and his staff pulsed with a sickly green radiance. He had been the first to reach the Shadow Soul after Tartarus's defeat, and in that moment of weakness, its corruptive power had seeped into his very being, twisting his mind and blackening his heart.

"Fools," he sneered, his voice dripping with malice. "Did you really think I would let you leave with the Shadow Soul? Its power belongs to me now. I shall become the new Lord of Shadows, and all shall tremble before my might!"

"Father, no!" Colin cried out, her eyes wide with horror. "This isn't you! The darkness has poisoned your mind!"

But Odin merely laughed, a harsh, grating sound that sent shivers down their spines. "Oh, but it is me, my dear daughter. The true me, unleashed at last from the shackles of weakness and mercy. And you shall join me as my dark queen, ruling over this realm at my side for all eternity!"

He extended a hand toward her, shadows coiling around his fingers like serpents. "Come, Colin. Embrace your destiny. Together, we shall be unstoppable!"

For a moment, Colin hesitated, torn between herlove for her father and the revulsion she felt at what he had become...