Ethan’s heart pounded in his chest, matching the furious rhythm of Ivy’s desperate breaths.
The darkness inside him, a voice he had fought to keep silent, whispered to him now, louder and more insistent than ever.
"Release me. I can end her," it purred, each word dripping with a sinister promise.
He clenched his fists, feeling the shadows pulsing within him, clawing at the edges of his control. This was a power he never wanted to use, a power that came with a price he wasn’t sure he was willing to pay.
But he looked over at Ivy, her body weakened, and Dylan, his face contorted in pain as the shadows around his neck tightened. They were running out of time.
Ethan took a deep breath, forcing his voice to remain steady. “Let them go, or I swear, I’ll show you something worse than any darkness you’ve ever conjured.”
Lila’s mother's eyes narrowing with dark amusement. “Oh, really? You think your little tricks can scare me? Who do you think you are? Thinking you're much powerful than me?”
She waved her hand dismissively, and the shadows wrapped tighter around Ivy and Dylan, choking them. Ivy’s eyes widened in terror, her hand reaching out to him, fingers trembling as her strength began to fade.
A low growl rumbled from Ethan’s throat as the voice inside him surged forward, louder, demanding release. "You can save them. Just let me out."
He closed his eyes, feeling the darkness coiling around his heart, curling like smoke, ready to seep into every part of him if he let it. But he knew that if he unleashed it, he might not be able to take it back. This darkness had a mind of its own, a hunger that couldn’t be tamed.
But Ivy’s strained gasp pulled him back, her face a pale as she struggled for air.
"It’s them… or control," the voice inside him taunted, its tone mocking yet sweet. "What will it be, Ethan?"
Ethan took a shaky breath, feeling the weight of the choice pressing down on him. He looked up, meeting Ivy’s terrified gaze.
"Forgive me," he thought, and then, with a final, hesitation sigh, he surrendered.
His shadow stretched and twisted, filling the air around him, forming tendrils that make continually twisting and pulsed with evil energy. His eyes gleamed with a cold, inhuman light as the dark energy flowed through him, powerful and all-consuming.
Lila’s mother faltered, her expression flickering with something almost like fear. “What are you?”
Ethan smirked, his voice now laced with a chilling echo. “I’m what you can’t control.”
With a flick of his wrist, his shadows shot forward, slicing through the tendrils that bound Ivy and Dylan. Ivy stumbled forward, gasping for air, her eyes wide as she took in the sight of him, her expression a mix of relief and horror.
“E-Ethan…? N-No,” she whispered, barely recognizing him.
He didn’t answer. He couldn’t, not without losing the last fragments of himself.
Instead, he turned his gaze on Lila’s mother, his expression a mask of merciless fury. “Your reign ends here.”
She let out a scream of rage, dark energy pouring from her as she called forth every shadow at her command. The shadows twisted and continual twisting, forming frightening shapes with glowing eyes, each one focused on Ethan with deadly intent.
But he barely flinched, his own darkness swirling around him like armor, his eyes glowing with an unnatural light. He stepped forward, his movements slow and deliberate, each step carrying the weight of his unleashed power.
The first creature lunged at him, but with a mere flick of his hand, he sent it crumbling into nothing but ash. Another followed, and he cut it down just as easily.
Lila’s mother snarled, “You think you can defeat me with this borrowed power? You’re just a child playing with forces you can’t even understand!”
Ethan’s gaze hardened, “I may not understand it. But I know enough to destroy you.”
She lunged at him, shadows erupting from her like a dark wave, each slender threadlike sharper and more lethal than the last. But Ethan met her attack with his own, his shadows colliding with hers in a violent explosion of dark energy that sent ripples through the ground beneath them.
The clash of their powers shook the air, sending sparks of darkness flying in every direction. Ethan felt the darkness inside him pushing, wanting more, begging to consume everything. It whispered to him, tempting him to let it take full control, to let go completely and let the darkness devour her.
"Just a little more," it urged, its voice sweet and seductive. "She deserves to suffer."
But as he fought her, his gaze flicked to Ivy, who was watching him with wide, horrified eyes. He could see the fear in her gaze, not fear of Lila’s mother, but fear of him. That one look was like a dagger to his chest, cutting of his power, grounding him back to himself.
“No…” she whispered, horror creeping into her voice. “This… this isn’t possible.”
Ethan’s hand lifted, almost as if pulled by invisible strings, and shadows erupted from his fingertips, shooting toward Lila's mother. She tried to scream, but the darkness swallowed the sound, wrapping around her. Her skin began to wither, turning ashen as the shadows sank deeper, draining her of every ounce of life.
Ivy and Dylan watched, frozen in place. "That's not Ethan," Dylan whispered. 
The shadows twisted around Lila’s mother, pulling her into an inescapable grip. Her face twisted in pain and terror, and then, slowly, she began to turn to ash, falling under the relentless pressure of Ethan’s power.
A cold silence settled as her form dissolved completely, the last of her figure fading into a pile of gray, lifeless dust. But the darkness in Ethan didn’t stop, it surged, growing stronger, almost as if it had tasted blood and wanted more.
In that moment, Ivy did the only thing she could think of. She reached out, placing her hand on his shoulder, letting her warmth seep into the coldness that surrounded him.
She focused on every memory they shared, each laugh, each moment of comfort, every small instance of love that had kept them together through everything.
Slowly, the darkness began to recede. Ethan’s face softened, the shadows pulling back, melting into nothingness. His eyes blinked, and his gaze found hers, filled with exhaustion and a deep, haunting guilt.
“Ivy…” His voice was barely a whisper, raw with the weight of what he’d done.
She held his gaze, her hand still resting on his shoulder. “You came back. That’s all that matters.”
But even as she spoke, they both knew the truth. He hadn’t truly come back, not entirely. The darkness was still there, lurking beneath the surface, a shadow he would carry with him forever. 
And in the silent, cold air, surrounded by the ashes of their enemy, they all felt it. This battle was far from over.
A soft sound broke the silence, and Ivy turned to see Dylan stepping forward, his face bruised, but his eyes steady as they met hers. He took a deep, heavy breath, his gaze shifting between the two of them.
“We should go,” he said, his voice quiet but certain. "There's nothing left here for us."
Ethan nodded, his gaze drifting to the empty space where Lila’s mother had stood, where Lila had given everything to protect them. 
They turned to leave everything, each step heavy with the weight of the night’s horrors, the sacrifice they’d just witnessed.
As they reached the edge of the stone wall. Ivy glanced back, her heart aching with the memory of that first night they’d arrived, when they were six, bound by friendship and a shared fate. But now, as they left, there were only three, walking out together with the silent knowledge that they would never be the same.
The shadows drawned behind them, clinging to the past they were leaving behind but never forgetting.