The sky bled red as dusk fell over the forest, the setting sun painting the clouds like wounds. The camp was silent, holding its breath.
Then came the sound—low, rumbling, like something ancient waking from slumber. The trees groaned, and the air thickened with power.
Nyra had arrived.
Elara stood at the front line beside Kael, her sword gripped tightly in her hand. Her heart pounded like a war drum. Kael glanced at her once, his golden eyes fierce and unshakable.
Behind them, Evelyn helped Lucien to a standing position. Though he was still injured, he refused to sit idle.
"Let them come," Lucien growled. "I've got something to say with steel."
Evelyn wrapped her hand around his. "Just promise me you'll come back."
Lucien didn't answer with words. He just kissed her forehead—softly, like a vow.
Then, from the darkness between the trees, came a figure clad in black armor, silver-edged and gleaming with dark energy. Her presence made the air twist and crackle.
Nyra.
She walked like death in motion, her gaze sweeping the defenders with cruel amusement. Shadows writhed behind her—soldiers of darkness, twisted by her power. And then another figure emerged beside her, taller, colder, crueler.
Thorne.
Elara's breath hitched. She had not seen Thorne since the night he'd betrayed them. Since the night he nearly destroyed everything.
He looked changed—more dangerous. A crown of bone curled around his temples, and his skin glowed faintly with a cursed sheen. Power radiated off him in waves.
"Thorne," Kael muttered under his breath, his jaw tightening. "He's joined her."
"No," Elara said quietly. "He's not just joined her. He's become something else."
Nyra's voice cut through the air like a blade. "So this is your little rebellion?" she laughed. "Lucien, wounded. Evelyn, broken. Kael and Elara… still playing hero and heroine. Charming."
"You won't win," Kael said calmly, stepping forward. "You never will."
Nyra smiled, but there was venom in her eyes. "You think love can save you?"
"No," Elara answered. "But it gives us a reason to fight."
Thorne stepped forward now, his voice colder than winter wind. "You should've let me die when you had the chance," he said to Elara, eyes gleaming.
"You should've stayed dead," she replied, her voice steady despite the pain curling in her chest.
Thorne's gaze narrowed. "You always thought you were stronger than me. Better. But look at you now—clinging to Kael, hiding from your past like a frightened child."
Elara's hands shook, not with fear, but fury.
"I faced my past," she said. "It doesn't own me anymore."
Thorne smiled cruelly. "We'll see."
Without warning, the sky cracked open as Nyra raised her hand. Dark energy surged forward like a tidal wave.
"Shield up!" Kael roared.
The warriors moved as one, forming protective lines. Elara and Kael raised their joined palms, unleashing a barrier of light that clashed violently with Nyra's darkness.
The ground trembled.
Swords clashed. Cries filled the air.
Chaos erupted.
Thorne vanished into the battle like a wraith, reappearing where Elara least expected, blades aimed at her throat. She ducked, rolled, and struck back with deadly precision. But he was stronger now. Faster.
Kael joined her side just in time, parrying a killing blow.
Elara's eyes flashed. "We take him together."
Kael nodded. "Like always."
They moved in sync, the bond between them forged in fire and blood. Blade against blade, light against dark, they pressed Thorne back. But he only grinned wider.
"You can't kill what's already broken," he hissed.
Lucien, wounded but fierce, charged through the battle toward Nyra. Evelyn was close behind, throwing daggers of glowing fire. One pierced Nyra's shoulder, but she barely flinched.
Nyra raised her hand—and a black spear of energy shot toward Evelyn.
"NO!" Lucien leapt in front of her, taking the full hit.
He crashed to the ground, motionless.
Evelyn screamed, collapsing beside him. "Lucien! No, no, no!"
Elara felt her heart twist, but there was no time. Thorne was still in front of her.
And Kael—Kael was bleeding.
A slash across his ribs glistened crimson. But he didn't fall. He fought harder.
"I'm fine," he gasped.
"Liar," Elara whispered, eyes wet. "Stay with me."
He looked at her, eyes full of pain and love. "Always."
Suddenly, a scream echoed through the battlefield—not from their side, but from Nyra's. One of her shadow beasts twisted unnaturally, then collapsed into ash.
Elara's eyes widened. Something… was changing.
Behind the lines, a strange glow pulsed in the distance. Faint but growing. A light unlike anything they'd seen before.
And from the woods… footsteps.
Heavy, slow… but familiar.
Someone was coming.
Elara's breath caught.
Hope flared.