Chapter 73: The Cry of the Victims and the Game of the Inquisitor
A dark cathedral of the Void now rose above the ruins of the Obsidian Keep, where that ancient echoing point once stood proudly. And at the heart of that cathedral, the terrible "show" that had been burned into Kael's mind continued: countless warriors of Aethel and other unfortunate souls were chained in a dark ritual around a vast Void fissure that pulsed with sinister energy, a living wound about to open. The victims' desperate cries echoed in the Void's icy silence, piercing Kael's soul like a dagger.
"You see, Echo Bearer," whispered that mocking, penetrating voice—the Inquisitor of the Void, the architect of this horror. "Hope is such a fragile thing. Do you hear their last whispers? They die for you, for your false light." The Inquisitor was more of a nightmarish entity than a physical body, taking shape by drawing on the dark energy around him and the despair of his victims. His aim was not only to destroy, but also to break Kael's spirit, to drag him into the deepest pit of despair.
On the bridge of the Odyssey, Captain Rostova and Dr. Thorne watched in horror at the horrific sight and the pained expression on Kael's face. The ship had been badly damaged; it was nearly impossible for him to support a ground operation of this magnitude or rescue the victims.
"What are we going to do, Kael?" Aslan asked, his voice trembling with anger and despair. "We can't just leave them there!"
Kael could not take his eyes off the tortured Aethel warriors and the "living" Void rift that was about to open. This rift was unlike any he had seen before; it was a self-aware, hungry, insatiable entity. And it thrived by feeding on the life energy of its victims. If it opened completely, it could swallow not just this planet, but the entire star system.
"No, Aslan," Kael said, his voice cold but filled with an unwavering determination. "We will not leave them there." Kael turned to Commander Hill and the others on the bridge of the Odyssey. "Captain, keep the ship in orbit around this dead planet, as hidden as possible. Dr. Thorne, continue analyzing the energy signatures of that rift and the ritual. You must find a weak point, an anomaly." Then he looked at Aslan and the two surviving Shadow Squad soldiers. "We are going down."
This was a suicide mission. But Kael could not ignore the cries of those Aethel warriors. They were Kael's allies; they had given him hope at Aethelburg's Lighthouse. Now it was his turn.
They made a perilous descent to the surface of that dark planet in a small, damaged S.H.I.E.L.D. attack shuttle. The atmosphere was filled with the poisonous energy of the Void. Where once stood the proud structures of the Obsidian Fortress, now there were only twisted Void structures and countless dark creatures.
Their destination was the vast ritual site. They moved forward, hiding, evading Void patrols and creatures. Kael guided them using his Chitauri core and his Echo senses, trying to keep the mocking whispers of the Inquisitor out of his mind. The small Aethel crystal in his palm, a gift from Orion, glowed faintly, giving him a small glimmer of hope.
As they approached the ritual site, the scope of the horror became clearer. The victims writhed in agony, their life energy being mercilessly drained by that living Void fissure. And in the midst of the ritual, the Inquisitor conducted the dark symphony like an orchestra conductor.
"Come closer, Echo Bearer," the Inquisitor whispered, sensing Kael's approach. "Enjoy your own failure and the end of your loved ones."
Kael knew there was no point in hiding any longer. He and his Shadow Squad soldiers emerged from the trench and charged the Void guards at the ritual site. It was a hopeless battle; they were outnumbered and the enemy was everywhere.
But Kael's real target was the Inquisitor. If he could defeat him, perhaps he could stop the ritual and prevent the rift from opening. Kael focused his Echo energy and lunged at the Inquisitor. But the Inquisitor was more of a psychic nightmare than a physical presence. It was entering Kael's mind, using his deepest fears, his most painful memories against him. For a moment, Kael found himself back on top of Fisk's Tower, for a moment in the deathly silence of Aethelburg's Lantern.
"You see, Echo Bearer," the Inquisitor whispered. "All your efforts are in vain. Every place you touch dies. You are not a savior, you are a harbinger of doom."
Kael was shaking under these mental assaults. But at that moment, the Aethel crystal in his palm burned even brighter. Orion's voice, the Lantern's song, the unwavering loyalty of Aslan... All these echoes of hope merged in Kael's mind, forming a shield against the dark whispers of the Inquisitor.
"You are wrong," Kael said, his voice labored, but there was new strength within him. "My Echo is stronger than your darkness."
Kael directed all the pure life energy from his Chitauri core and soul, with the help of the Aethel crystal, towards the Inquisitor in the form of a blast of light. It was not just an energy attack, but a cry of hope, life, and resistance.
The Inquisitor cried out in pain at the pure, unexpected light. His psychic form wavered, his dark energy weakened. But at that very moment, that living Void fissure grew larger in a final effort, an indescribable horror seeping from its center, a fragment of the Void itself. The screams of the victims heralded this new threat.
Kael had weakened the Inquisitor, but now the real disaster was about to begin.