Sam closes the doors behind Eldo, his familiar warm smile twisting into something darker. "I didn't want to have to do this, nephew," he says, flames beginning to dance across his skin. "But you leave me no choice."
The attack comes without warning—a surge of hellfire that forces Eldo to dive aside, the heat so intense it scorches the obsidian floor beneath him. His uncle's power is overwhelming, far beyond anything Eldo has experienced.
"Uncle Sam, please!" Eldo shouts, scrambling to his feet as another wave of flame rushes toward him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!?"
"What I should have done from the start!" Sam roars, his form shifting, becoming more demonic with each passing second. "I was a fool for thinking otherwise..."
Eldo channels his own flames, creating a protective barrier, but Sam's attack tears through it like paper. The impact sends Eldo crashing against a wall, his chest burning with pain.
"You're weak," Sam snarls, stalking forward. "Holding back. Just like you always did."
Memories flash through Eldo's mind—summer afternoons spent with his uncle, learning to fish, sharing stories, laughing together. Each precious memory now tainted by this betrayal.
"Did...did you ever love me...?" Eldo whispers, pushing himself up. His own flames begin to intensify, fueled by hurt and anger. "Was any of that real...?"
"Love?" Sam laughs, the sound echoing through the throne room. "Love makes you weak. It binds you, restrains you, makes you hesitate. IT GIVES YOU SOMETHING TO LOSE!"
Their flames clash in a devastating explosion, crimson meeting gold as uncle and nephew unleash their full power. The very air seems to ignite, turning the throne room into a crucible of competing wills.
"You're wrong!" Eldo screams over the roar of their combined flames. "My friends—Winter, Kyo—They give me reason not to drop dead here and now!"
Sam's attack falters for just a moment, surprise flickering across his features. Eldo seizes the opportunity, channeling everything he's learned into one desperate assault. His flames bright like the sun, taking on a newfound intensity.
"I won't let you twist what love means!" Eldo declares, pushing forward despite the searing pain in his chest. "I won't become like you! I refuse! HEAT WAVE!"
The two forces meet in a catastrophic collision. Sam's hellfire rages against Eldo's determination, neither willing to yield. The throne room itself begins to crack under the strain, obsidian walls splitting like broken glass.
"You could have had everything!" Sam howls, his form becoming more monstrous with each passing second. "We could have ruled together!"
"I never wanted to rule," Eldo replies, his voice steady despite the tears streaming down his face. "I just wanted my uncle back."
With one final surge of power, Eldo's blazing flames pierce through Sam's defenses. The impact sends his uncle staggering backward, genuine shock replacing the darkness in his eyes.
"How...?" Sam gasps, looking down at the golden flames eating away at his form.
"Because I'm not fighting for power, or dominion, none of that crap." Eldo says softly, watching as his uncle's demonic shape begins to crumble. "I'm fighting for everyone I care about. Even the memory of who you used to be."
Sam lies on the obsidian floor, his form now revealing his human self beneath. Blood trickles from the corner of his mouth as Eldo cradles his uncle's head in his lap, tears falling freely now.
"I did love you, you know," Sam whispers, his voice weak but warm like Eldo remembers. "You and your father both. So very much."
"Then why?" Eldo chokes out. "Why did you do all this?"
Sam coughs, a painful sound that echoes through the throne room. "I was sick, Eldo. Dying. I didn't want to tell you because..." he pauses, struggling for breath, "because I couldn't bear to see you cry."
"What?" Eldo's eyes widen, tears still streaming down his face.
"Only your father knew. He promised to keep his brother's secret." Sam's eyes grow distant with memory. "But then someone approached me, offering an experiment that could cure me. And it worked, in a way..." A bitter smile crosses his face. "The catch was that my body would become a vessel for Barbaros, the Flame Spirit of Dominion."
"Uncle Sam..." Eldo clutches his uncle's hand tighter.
"Don't cry, kiddo," Sam says softly, reaching up to wipe a tear from Eldo's cheek. "You were always stronger than me. Strong enough to resist the temptation of power. Strong enough to..." his voice falters as his body begins to fade, "to choose love..."
"Please...please... don't go....." Eldo pleads, but the life in Sam's form is already fading.
"I'm proud of you, Eldo," Sam whispers with his final breath. "Never forget that."
As his uncle's body goes limp in his arms, a red spirit bursts forth from Sam's chest, beaming away into the distance with an otherworldly screech. Eldo remains alone in the throne room, holding his uncle's now empty vessel, his sobs echoing through the halls of hell itself.