They returned to the corridor, and began walking down it together. This time, there weren't any monsters blocking them, but the terrain became much more hostile as they advanced.
In some paths, there were cracks in the ground that leaked wisps of blood red mist and in other paths, the walls had slimy moss that dripped a poisonous substance onto the floor.
Luckily, Albedo and Ember could easily avoid it, and after walking through the corridors for what could've been minutes or hours, the path widened suddenly, the floor falling away into a cavernous expanse.
The walls around them now curved upward into a dome. The ceiling dripped with strands of black ichor, each droplet falling into one of several shallow pools that dotted the ground.
These pools didn't reflect the dome like roof, but instead had swirling visions of different places, such as cities in ruin, forests completely frozen, skies torn apart by storms and more.
However, Albedo's eyes were drawn to the center of the chamber.
Suspended above the entire chamber and propped up by skeletal monster bones was a sphere of liquid crimson.
The sphere continuously turned in a slow but steady pace, but inside, there was the vague silhouette of a mature beautiful woman.
Seraphyne.
Even in her dormant state, Albedo could feel her presence pressing against the chamber like a weight. It was a monstrous level of power that demanded to be acknowledged.
~CLANG~CLANG!~
The Keys in his pocket went wild, constantly shuffling and clanging against each-other, their pulses synchronized into a single, rapid rhythm, unleashing a fierce heat that threatened to even bore a hole through his pocket.
"Are you ready?" Albedo asked Ember using his 'Voice of Beasts.'
~NEIGHHH!~
Ember let out a passionate neigh, her flames igniting around her body and her eyes sharpening as she said she was ready and roaring to go into whatever final trial was before them.
Once he confirmed she was ready, the duo stepped forward and the entire chamber immediately reacted.
~WHOOSH!~
The pools of black water that were previously displaying various visions now erupted upward, forming humanoid figures with elongated limbs and heads twisted into screaming shapes.
The crimson runes along the walls flared, spilling beams of light into the pools until each figure stood fully formed, their bodies armored in a strange, glassy shell that pulsed like a living heart.
The path to the dais was instantly blocked by a phalanx of these creations.
At the same time, the blood orb above Seraphyne began to shift, tendrils of crimson peeling away from its surface, arcing toward the chamber's far wall. There, etched into the stone in letters older than the world, glowed a trial's inscription:
"Blood may bind, but only the worthy may claim the heart. Three shall stand before you, shadow, flame, and bone. Only when they are unmade, may the key be obtained and the Seal be broken!"
Albedo smiled as he saw the designation for the final trial. One final battle to accomplish his mission.
Shadow, Flame & Bone.
The three enemies took shape before him.
The first was a hulking, eyeless brute forged from pure shadowstuff, its limbs flowing and reforming in jagged bursts.
The second was a knight-shaped figure wreathed in crimson fire, its blade dripping molten sparks that hissed as they struck the ground.
The third was a skeletal colossus, its frame made of obsidian bone bound together by chains that rattled with every step, its empty sockets glowing with cold white light.
The three of them just stood off against Albedo and Ember, the chamber becoming dense with their clashing auras.
~CLANG!~
Then, the three guardians advanced, moving forward with slow but deliberate steps. The sound of their movements echoing differently for each.
The wet, sloshing slither of the Shadow Brute, the metallic chime of the Crimson Knight's armored stride, and the rattling clatter of the Bone Colossus' chains.
"Let's make this quick." Albedo said to himself and Ember, who flicked her ears back at him.
Her white-blue flames rippled higher, licking along her legs and mane, throwing ghostly light against the crimson-etched walls.
~NEIGHHHH!~
She pawed at the stone, sparks scattering as her hooves dug in and Albedo vaulted into her saddle in one fluid motion, Havoc in his left hand & Ruin in his right hand.
~WHOOSH!~
The Shadow Brute was first, its body distorting into a wave of darkness that rolled across the ground like a flood. Ember kicked off with explosive force, the impact cracking the stone beneath them.
They shot forward in a blur, the mare's flames leaving a streak of pale blue in the air.
Albedo's fingers squeezed onto the triggers of Havoc and Ruin.
~BANG~BANG~BANG!~
He fired off compressed gravity slugs from Ruin that tore through the shadow brute, each shot imploding into miniature voids that clanged against the brute's body.
All the while Havoc shot off in Infernal mode, spitting bullets of crimson fire that splashed across the Crimson Knight's chestplate.
The molten shell hissed, crimson flames meeting blue as Ember barreled past, her shoulder clipping the Knight hard enough to stagger it.
~CLANG~BOOM!~
The Bone Colossus tried to attack them, but the chains missed as Ember dodged it, kicking up her corrosive flames that burned through some of the attack.
Ember continued to weave through the attacks of the three enemies, her hooves striking sparks on the stone all the while Albedo fired in every direction.
Ruin punched clean holes through the Bone Colossus' ribs, while Havoc's flames set the chains on its arms alight, warping their shape.
The Shadow Brute regrouped instantly, reforming parts of its body that had been damaged and lashing out using tendrils of living darkness.
Seeing that, Albedo shifted Ruin into Mana-Drain Mode and fired off.
~BANG!~
The shot punched into one tendril, and the weapon drank deep. He felt his mana reserves refill like a tide rushing back in.
"Faster!" he called out to Ember over the rush of battle and Ember obliged without hesitation, leaping over one of the ichor pools in a burst of flame.
A tendril whipped under her midair, grazing her hind led, flames burst from the wound instantly, burning away whatever residue the shadow had tried to leave.
They landed, skidding to a stop.
Albedo's eyes darted, mind mapping their movements: the Knight kept closing from the flank, the Brute liked to surge from below, and the Colossus was slow but devastating if ignored.
He decided to switch tactics.
"Go!"
Ember launched forward again, this time not weaving, but charging straight at the Knight.
~BANG~BANG!~
Gravity slugs hammered into its sword arm, forcing the weapon lower while Albedo swung Havoc up, flames coiling along the barrel,
~BANG!~
The shot exploded on impact, the Knight's helmet snapping back as molten flame splashed across its visor. The Crimson Apocalypse Flames completely wrapped around the Knight, beginning to burn away its armor venomously.
They were nearly upon it when Albedo vaulted from Ember's back, hitting the ground in a roll, coming up with both pistols raised.
The Crimson Knight swung down, a cleaving arc of molten steel, but all the sword hit was Albedo's mirage formed with his talent, as the gunner shot an Infernal bullet from Havoc at point blank range.
~BANG!~
The Knight's head erupted in an even more fiery blast of crimson flame, and it staggered back, helm caved in and molten.
The Shadow Brute surged for him from behind but Albedo didn't bother to turn, Ruin spun in his hand and barked three shots over his shoulder, each slug imploding with brutal force. The Brute's torso collapsed inward, leaving only a quivering stump.
The Colossus finally caught up, swinging a massive chain-wrapped fist. Albedo threw up a wall of Arcane force,
~CRASH!~
The impact shook the chamber, cracks spiderwebbing across the floor as he continued to pivot. He ran across the battlefield, unleashing shot after shot that laid on the damage.
He created flame pillars that clung to the bodies of the three attackers, burning them in an even fiercer way while he swapped both pistols to Graviton mode.
~BANG~BANG!~
Each slug tore chunks of obsidian bone away, leaving gaping holes in the Colossus' frame.
Ember barreled in from the side, flames wreathing her entire body, and smashed her front hooves into one of its knees. The joint shattered like glass, sending the giant collapsing to one side.
"Let's finish it!"
Albedo surged forward, tossing Havoc in a quick spin to shift it back into Infernal Mode. The mare reared, her flames engulfing the Colossus' skull as Albedo unloaded point-blank into its chest.
~BANG~BANG!~
Blue-white fire and crimson explosions tore through bone and chain until nothing remained but drifting ash and molten shards, taking the Bone Colossus down for good.
Albedo pivoted instantly as he noticed that the Shadow Brute was reforming again.
~BANG!~
Havoc's flames tore into it, melting its body before Ruin's Graviton shot pulled the remains into a tight implosion that popped into nothing.
Only the Knight had remained alive, trying to regain its footing as it held the blade in both hands, but Albedo was already on the move, holstering Havoc and conjuring a blazing Arcane sigil in his free palm.
Then, he flung a storm of flame lances forward, each at a crucial weak point of the Knight, who staggered under the barrage, armor blackening from the flames that destroyed it.
Ember came in like a comet, smashing into its chest with a fiery shoulder. It hit the ground hard, molten cracks racing across its form while Albedo stepped forward, Ruin aimed at its core.
~BANG!~
The implosion tore the Knight apart from the inside, scattering molten fragments across the chamber.
Silence followed, and then the crimson sphere above pulsed once, the Keys in Albedo's pocket vibrating violently in answer.
The two keys flew out of his pocket, and paired with a third key that fell from the roof, all three of the keys shining brightly before entering the Blood Orb that held the silhouette.
The Blood Orb began pulsing constantly, until it finally popped like a bubble, releasing the silhouette.
There, standing before Albedo and Ember was Seraphyne.
She looked exquisite, with a dark elegant beauty and an ethereal supernatural charm, the kind that could make someone fall in love at a single glance.
She has a voluptuous figure, draped in a form-fitting, sheer black gown adorned with intricate lace patterns that trail like shadows over her skin.
The dress reveals just enough to be provocative while maintaining a regal, gothic allure. Her long, flowing black hair cascades down towards her shoulders, framing her flawless pace perfectly.
Her crimson eyes stared directly at Albedo with a predatory allure. Her lips are painted blood red, and she had blood red earrings.
"How good it feels to be awake, introduce yourself!"