A Tear in Space

Chapter - 61

As Jacob continuously fired his revolver, he quickly realized that bullets were having little effect on the dark mages' barriers. The protective shields they had conjured deflected his shots, leaving the mages unharmed. Adjusting his strategy, Jacob called upon his Thunder-Gale ability, infusing his bullets with crackling lightning energy. The next shot he fired streaked across the hall like a bolt of lightning, slamming into one of the dark mages' barriers. The first bullet caused the barrier to shimmer and weaken; the second fractured it; and the third shot, carrying the full force of Jacob's power, pierced through the mage's skull, killing him instantly.

The remaining dark mages, now fully aware of the threat, scattered and took cover behind the ancient stone columns of the temple. From their positions, they began to retaliate with a variety of dark magic. A seething wave of shadowy tendrils erupted from one mage's hands, slithering across the ground like snakes, seeking to ensnare Jacob. Another mage hurled orbs of crackling purple energy that exploded on impact, sending shockwaves through the air.

Jacob dodged and weaved, his movements quick and precise as he avoided the dark magic aimed at him. He took cover behind a pillar, narrowly avoiding a blast of shadowy flames that scorched the stone beside him. Despite his skill, the sheer volume of attacks made it difficult to maintain his assault. Meanwhile, Elara was struggling to both protect herself and Seraphina. She deflected some of the attacks, but one particularly vicious dark bolt slipped through her defenses, striking her in the shoulder. Elara gritted her teeth against the pain, refusing to let it stop her as she continued to protect Seraphina.

Jacob could feel the strain of his Thunder-Gale ability beginning to take its toll. The continuous use of faerium-infused bullets was draining his energy rapidly. His breathing grew heavier, and a sharp ache began to spread through his body, signaling that he would soon reach his limit. Despite this, he continued to fight, firing shot after shot, determined to reduce the number of enemies before they could be overwhelmed. But with every pull of the trigger, he could feel his faerium reserves dwindling.

Realizing that he couldn't keep this up much longer, Jacob began to make his way back toward Elara and Seraphina. He needed to regroup with them, to ensure they weren't overwhelmed by the dark mages. As he moved, he fired off a few more lightning-infused bullets, taking down another mage whose barrier had already been weakened by Seraphina's light magic.

When he reached them, he saw the strain on both their faces. Elara's shoulder was bleeding heavily, the wound deep and painful, yet she continued to push through while clutching her injured shoulder. Seraphina, her face pale with concentration, continued to unleash powerful bursts of light magic, targeting any dark mage that dared to come too close.

Seraphina's sharp eyes caught sight of two dark mages standing in the center of the great hall, their positions fixed over the glowing runes on the floor. Unlike the others, these two were not engaging in the fight; instead, they had begun chanting in a low, guttural tone, their words resonating with dark power. The runes beneath them started to glow more intensely, pulsating with a sinister light.

"Jacob!" Seraphina's voice rang out, laden with fear and urgency. "Those two—they're continuing the summoning ritual! We have to stop them now, or whatever they're trying to bring forth will be unleashed!"

Jacob gritted his teeth, eyes scanning the room. He knew Seraphina was right, but the path to those two mages was blocked by a wall of their comrades. Every time he or Seraphina attempted to target the chanting mages, others would throw themselves into the path of their attacks, sacrificing their lives to protect the ritual.

Jacob was forced to cease his assault, retreating to cover alongside Elara and Seraphina. His body was on the brink of collapse, his head throbbing violently with the overuse of faerium. The strain on his reserves was immense, and every muscle in his body felt as though it were on fire. 

Elara, too, was faring poorly. Blood seeped from the wound in her shoulder, staining her clothes and armor. She held her sword aloft, the blade wreathed in flames, using it to fend off the relentless attacks hurled at them by the enemies.

Then, the room shook with a deafening noise—a sound that echoed like a thousand whispers converging into a single, monstrous roar. Jacob's heart dropped as he saw it: a tear in space forming in the center of the hall, a jagged wound in reality itself. The very air seemed to warp and shudder as the tear widened, darkness spilling out from its depths like ink in water.