The battlefield narrowed to a storm of fire and smoke. Ashbound torches blazed with Elira's bound flame, but Marlic's shadow warriors pressed harder, their silence heavier than steel. At the center, the duel raged—Elira, Kael, and Marlic locked in a clash that shook the camp.
Marlic's shadow storm rose higher, his form swelling, ember eyes burning like twin suns. He struck with fury, his spear of smoke cutting through Kael's blade, forcing him back. "You cannot bind fire to loyalty," he roared. "Loyalty breaks. Shadow endures."
Elira's crown pulsed, her fire blazing outward. She forced the flame into Kael's steel, into the Ashbound torches, weaving them tighter. "Then let shadow endure alone. Flame endures together."
The clash was relentless. Marlic's spear lashed forward, shadow slicing through flame. Elira countered, her fire surging into a shield, sparks raining down. Kael struck at Marlic's side, steel cutting into shadow, forcing him to stumble.
Marlic snarled, smoke lashing out to drive Kael back. "Brother, you fight for her now? You should have fought for me."
Kael's blade gleamed with fire, his voice steady. "I did. And I failed. But I will not fail her."
The duel spiraled—flame against shadow, steel against smoke. Elira's fire blazed brighter, Kael's blade cut sharper, but Marlic's fury grew heavier, his storm swelling. The ground trembled, tents collapsing, warriors scattering.
The crown pulsed violently, visions flashing—Elira consumed by fire, Kael falling, Marlic triumphant. She clenched her fist, forcing the blaze outward. "No more visions. Only truth."
Together, she and Kael pressed forward—flame and steel united. Their strikes drove Marlic back step by step, his shadow faltering under their combined force.
But Marlic roared, summoning a surge of shadow that swallowed the camp. His form grew larger, darker, ember eyes blazing like fire in the void. "You cannot burn shadow. You cannot kill memory."
Elira's crown blazed brighter than ever, Kael's blade gleaming in the firelight. The duel was no longer just battle—it was reckoning.