The battlefield seethed like a storm. Every second, more enemy soldiers poured through the swirling portal, their hooded figures blending with the smoke and flames that cloaked the island's center. The Starborn clan, though fierce, was being stretched thin, forced to fight against a tide that refused to end.
Among the chaos, mini-duels erupted like sparks across the field.
An enemy commander, his body cloaked in writhing green poison, broke through the frontlines. He swung a massive halberd that dripped venom with every sweep. A dozen clan soldiers fell back before his might, their skin blistering where droplets touched them.
But Elder Cael stepped forward, his axe blazing with molten energy. His armor was cracked, his beard stained with blood, yet his eyes burned like fire.
"Poison will not corrode our roots!" Cael roared, slamming his foot into the ground. Lava burst from beneath him, rolling toward the commander like a wave of molten fury.
The poison-wielder sneered, spinning his halberd to split the flow, his toxins hissing against the heat. Then the two clashed — venom against fire, the air splitting with every strike. Sparks and smoke danced in the chaos as their duel raged on, the fate of dozens hinging on the outcome.
Not far away, a hooded woman leapt into the air, her body twisting as blades of condensed poison shot from her fingers. They tore through several Starborn shields, sending warriors to the ground in agony.
Before she could finish them, a young Starborn stepped forward. His name was Liora, and though barely older than Three, his Vitral burned with the blue of stormlight.
He raised his staff, and thunder cracked overhead. Lightning speared downward, scattering the woman's poison blades before striking her with such force that her cloak ignited. She screamed but retaliated, poison forming serpents that lashed at him.
The two battled fiercely, lightning crashing against venom, both refusing to yield.
All around, the clan was suffering. Each death dug deeper into their hearts. A brother fell, his sister screamed in anguish before skewering three enemies with a spear of stone, her rage blinding her to the arrows piercing her back. She collapsed atop the corpses she had slain.
A group of Starborn youths huddled together, barely keeping up with the fight. Their blades trembled, their eyes wide. But when one of their friends was cut down, the others roared, their fear burning into fury. They charged as one, their attacks wild but desperate, and somehow, they cut through a squad of enemies, their grief fueling their strength.
The cycle of sacrifice seemed endless.
Near the portal itself, the fiercest clash broke out. A towering enemy champion stepped forth, his arms wrapped in writhing serpents of poison. His presence sent chills through the Starborn line.
From the clan, Mira — one of the last of the old veterans who had fought beside Lucas himself — walked forward. Her sword shone with threads of light Vitral, weaving a brilliance that cut through the gloom.
The champion laughed, poison hissing from his arms as the serpents lunged. Mira answered with grace. Her blade flickered like sunlight, severing one serpent's head, then twisting to block the other. The duel between them was like shadow against dawn — poison seeking to consume, light seeking to pierce.
The clan watched as Mira danced through the chaos, holding the champion back. For every wound she inflicted, she suffered two, yet her blade never faltered. She fought not just with her strength but with the weight of all those she swore to protect.
Meanwhile, enemy reinforcements kept pouring in. The portal pulsed, endless and merciless. The Starborn realized they were not just fighting for victory. They were fighting for survival.
"Close the gap!" someone shouted, though their voice cracked with despair. "Hold them back, don't let them reach the heart of the island!"
And they did, even as grief threatened to crush them. Every time a comrade fell, the survivors' blades grew heavier but also sharper. Their grief was fuel, their rage a fire that kept them standing when their bodies wanted to collapse.
Still, the toll was unbearable. For every enemy slain, a Starborn seemed to fall. Tears and blood mixed freely on the battlefield, staining the earth.
And above it all, Sid and Zoltan's duel raged, their clash shaking the ground, their fight a beacon drawing eyes even amid the carnage. The outcome of their battle would decide the fate of all.
Mira's blade flashed like a streak of dawn against night. Every swing carved through darkness, holding back the towering poison champion whose serpents lashed wildly at her. His venom hissed with each strike, eating into the ground, blackening the stone beneath their feet.
Yet Mira stood firm. Her armor was torn, her body cut and bruised, but her eyes blazed with defiance.
"You will not touch my clan!" she shouted, parrying another strike and pushing forward.
The champion snarled, his poison serpents coiling together into a massive fang-shaped spear. He thrust it forward with a roar.
Mira raised her sword high, light coursing through it. When the spear came, she twisted and slashed, the brilliance of her Vitral severing the toxic weapon in half. The clash released an explosion of venom and light, throwing both of them back. Mira coughed blood but forced herself up again, trembling yet unyielding.
The clan saw her and shouted encouragement. "Mira! Hold the line!"
Behind her, Elder Cael was still locked in combat with the halberd-wielding poison commander. His molten axe burned bright, lava spilling across the ground to keep the enemy's poison at bay. But Cael was bleeding heavily, his breaths ragged. He knew he would not last much longer.
Through the chaos, his eyes met Mira's. And she understood instantly.
The portal was still churning, still spitting out more enemies with every second. If they didn't stop it now, the clan would be drowned.
"Cael!" Mira called, her voice trembling yet resolute. "It's time."
The old warrior gave her a broken smile, fire still burning in his gaze. "Together, then. Like we swore."
Mira nodded, tightening her grip on her blade. She turned to the Starborn soldiers behind her, tears forming in her eyes. "Protect Sid. Protect the clan. This is where we end."
With a battle cry that shook the air, she surged forward, her sword glowing with pure light. She slashed through the champion's serpents one last time and drove her blade into his chest. The poison warrior screamed as light erupted inside him, burning through his body like fire. Venom exploded outward, searing Mira's skin, but she did not falter.
At the same moment, Cael let out a roar, his axe blazing with molten energy as he swung with all his strength. He cleaved the halberd commander in two, the impact cracking the earth beneath them. Lava surged outward, flames devouring the poison warrior as Cael's Vitral went wild.
Both enemies fell — but Mira and Cael were mortally wounded.
Blood dripped from Mira's lips, her body barely holding together. She staggered toward Cael, the portal roaring louder behind them. It was unstable now, weakened by the relic's strain and their defiance.
Cael placed his massive hand on her shoulder. "One last strike. Pour everything in. We'll burn this cursed gate shut."
Mira's eyes glistened, but she nodded. "For the clan."
They turned toward the portal. Mira raised her sword, glowing with every drop of light Vitral she had left. Cael lifted his axe, molten veins crawling across its surface as his fire raged unchecked.
Together, they charged.
Their weapons pierced the ground before the portal, and their Vitrals erupted. Light and flame intertwined, spiraling upward like a blazing pillar. The portal convulsed, screeching as if alive, its edges tearing apart under the force of their sacrifice.
Enemies still inside screamed as the light and fire consumed them. Poison burned away, shadows obliterated.
The last thing the clan saw was Mira standing tall, her sword blazing, and Cael roaring defiantly, his axe aflame. Then, in one blinding flash, both warriors exploded with their power, their bodies vanishing in the brilliance.
The portal collapsed in on itself with a thunderous shockwave. Silence followed.
Only ashes and scorch marks remained where Mira and Cael had stood.
The Starborn soldiers stood frozen, grief-stricken but alive. Tears streamed down their faces, but beneath the sorrow burned something stronger. Mira and Cael had given everything to protect them.
And now, it was their duty to honor that sacrifice.