The clash of steel rang through the valley like thunder splitting the sky. Evelyn's breath came ragged as her sword locked against Fji's. Sparks scattered between them, brief flashes of light in the endless dark of war. The ground beneath their feet was soaked with blood, both fresh and old. The smell of iron filled the air, heavy and suffocating.
Fji's eyes burned with wild fury. "You should have walked away when I warned you," he hissed, pushing her back with brute strength. "Now everything you love will die screaming."
Evelyn gritted her teeth and held her stance. Her arm trembled under the force of his strike, but she refused to yield. "You burned villages, slaughtered innocents, and called it justice," she shot back. "This is not vengeance, Fji. It's madness."
He smiled, cruel and hollow. "Madness is the only thing left when the Moon Goddess turns her back."
