Orion hovered above the Moonstone Altar, his wings beating in a fast, steady rhythm.
The shadow entity surged upward, forming a massive wall of dark mist that blocked the ceiling exit.
"You cannot escape, little bird," the void voice hissed. "This library will be our feast."
Orion ignored the threat, concentrating entirely on his internal magic. As a pygmy griffin, his core magic was derived from the moon and stars — a pure, uncorrupted light that stood in direct opposition to void energy.
He reached up with his right talon and unhooked Julian's silver pendant from his collar. Holding the medallion tightly, he hovered directly over the cracked moon-quartz sphere.
The shadow entity realized his intention and lunged forward with all its remaining strength. Dozens of dark tendrils converged on the altar, seeking to crush both the griffin and the stone.
Orion did not flinch.
He folded his wings around his body and dove straight into the central fissure of the moon-quartz. As he descended, he released the full energy stored within his starlight feathers.
His body flared with a brilliant, silver-white light that turned the dark vault into a hall of blinding illumination. The medallion in his talons caught the light, amplifying it tenfold as it lodged deep inside the crack.
"For Julian! For Crestfall!" Orion's spirit cried out in the light.
The silver starlight poured into the internal channels of the moon-quartz sphere. The dark void-oil inside the fissure began to sizzle and evaporate, replaced by a flowing stream of liquid silver light.
The shadow entity shrieked in agony as the expanding light tore through its dark tendrils. The void mist shattered, dissolving into harmless grey dust that floated to the stone floor.
A massive pulse of blue restorative magic erupted from the altar, sweeping across the room. The crack in the moon-quartz fused together, sealed tight by liquid silver light. The anti-gravity fields collapsed, and the floating stones settled gently back onto the floor.
The Moonstone Seal was restored, and the void was defeated.
The lapis lazuli vault hummed with clean, peaceful arcane energy, while the altar shone like a miniature full moon in the dark chamber.
Orion fell back onto the marble altar, exhausted and weak, his silver feathers dimmed from using all his magic. He closed his amber eyes, resting his small head against the warm, glowing moon-quartz, happy that his mission was complete.