Chapter 98: The Hour of Death

Magnus gazed at the rift's wide jaws, the earth quivering beneath his feet. A blackness that seemed to breathe and be hungry for the world pulsed through the earth's fracture, giving it life. As his mind attempted to process the magnitude of what had just transpired, his heart raced. There was more energy from the rift than he had ever anticipated, more than he had ever been ready for.

His warped doppelganger, the one who said he was doomed, was behind him, watching with savage laughter. The atmosphere was filled with power that threatened to shatter reality itself, and the air was heavy with anxiety.

"Do you now see it?" The voice of the figure was mocking and silky. "It was all predestined to occur. You never had this world to save. I was the one who destroyed it.

Magnus tightened his jaw. "I will not permit you to do so."

A smile curved the figure's lips. "You believe you have an option? I am you. This *is* you. With you, the world ends.

Magnus's heart was pounding. Was it accurate? Did he truly have the purpose of bringing about the end? Anger clouded his vision, yet a persistent uncertainty gnawed at the back of his mind.

A blast of dark energy swept through the air as the fissure erupted. Magnus's body hit the ground hard, causing the ground beneath him to shatter. He felt the rift closing in on him, choking him as he begged for air. He yelled, "I am not you!" but the figure's laughter reverberated through space.

Magnus struggled to push himself to his feet, but the blast had left him dazed and his head spinning. His surroundings seemed distorted and incorrect, as if reality itself were beginning to unravel. He felt the blackness pouring into his bones as the fissure pulsed.

"You do not understand, do you?" The figure approached, taunting. "You were never given an option. You have already contributed to the damage and the rift. You have been playing the hero the entire time, but you have been directly putting yourself in my position.

Magnus felt his blood chill. "You are telling lies."

Dark delight glinted in the figure's eyes. "I am not. Like me, you were made for this moment. Magnus, you *are* the end.

The figure's shape abruptly shifted and started to warp, appearing to be a mirage in the air. Magnus staggered back in disbelief. Was it accurate? Had he been playing the precise part he had opposed without realizing it? He was unable to understand it.

However, the figure did not wait for him to close the distance. The fissure widened and the ground underneath them cracked open wider with a snap of its fingers.

The ground shuddered fiercely as a scream shattered the atmosphere. Magnus watched as the earth started to give way underneath him. The air was whipped by a cold, piercing wind. All he could do was jump forward, just escaping the chasm that would have swallowed him whole.

Magnus got up quickly, his head spinning. The last glimmer of hope he had held onto was disappearing along with the world. The shape of the creature that loomed before him changed, becoming more monster than human. It was similar to gazing into a warped mirror, seeing a reflection of himself and his potential.

"What if I decide to put an end to this?" Magnus's voice was strained as he asked. "What if I do not follow your path?"

With a twisted smile that never left its face, the creature cocked its head. "You can't. It is too late. You have already been selected by the rift. You will *become* what you are afraid of. The demolisher.

Magnus's fists clenched. "If I can avoid it, no."

He stepped forward as the decision's gravity set in. He could not afford to hesitate any longer. Second chances are no longer an option. He had come to this one moment because of everything he had battled for.

He was momentarily blinded by a dazzling burst of light that flooded the air as he approached the fissure. The figure vanished as his vision cleared. It was replaced with a far darker, more incomprehensible form that he had never seen before.

The form of the figure was no longer only an adversary. It seemed to pulse with the very essence of devastation, a force, a primordial energy. Magnus sensed the strength emanating from it, a force that gnawed at his thoughts and muttered his deepest uncertainties and anxieties.

The voice of the apparition resonated in his head, echoing through every cell of his body, "You can not escape your destiny." "You were not supposed to fight this. It was supposed to be led by you.

Magnus did not falter even if his knees gave way under the weight of the words. He was not like this. He had not become this person.

Magnus stood straight and clinched his teeth and said, "No." "I am not you. I *never* will be you.

Magnus tried to tear the fissure apart from the inside by reaching out and grabbing hold of its energy with all the remaining might he had. The rift was trying to suck him in, but he could feel its might, resistance, and pull.

Magnus was flung backward, his body smashing into the ground as the strength of the fissure erupted. The shadow of the figure hung over him. With a tone of grim finality, it murmured, "You are already too far gone." "But you will find out soon enough, so do not worry."

Magnus stood, his entire body wailing in agony, but he was more determined than ever. There was nothing he could do. He now held the power to decide the fate of the world, and he would lose everything if he did nothing. This warped version of himself could not prevail. He could not allow the darkness to take over the earth.

Magnus hissed, his voice unflinching, "Enough of this." "I refuse to be dominated by you."

Taking a deep breath and using all of his remaining strength, he charged at the creature. The figure raised its hands, poised to deliver the last blow as the rift throbbed with electricity.

Magnus, however, was quicker.

Magnus made one more desperate attempt and slammed into the figure, and for a second everything was dark. They were both engulfed in a blinding blast of light that burst from the fissure. There was only silence as the world around them fell into emptiness.