The General's shadow moved with impossible speed, a blur of darkness against the pristine white of the Frost-Lands. Elara met his strike with a shield of sapphire light, the impact sending a shockwave that cracked the frozen ground for miles. The air hummed with the raw power of the two crystals, their energy swirling around her like a protective storm.
"You fight for a world that has already forgotten you, Star-Child!" the General's voice rasped, his shadowy blade clashing against her barrier.
Elara gritted her teeth, her feet sliding back on the ice. "I fight for the future, not for recognition!"
With a sudden burst of will, she pushed forward. The golden light of her first crystal merged with the sapphire frost of the second, creating a beam of pure energy that pierced through the General's shadow. He let out a piercing scream as the light began to dissolve his form. But even as he vanished, he left behind a chilling warning: "The Council is not a place, Elara. It is an infection. And it has already started in your friend."