Screams. Steel clashing against steel. The scent of blood filled the air almost instantly. The initiates turned on each other like rabid animals, the golden sun symbols on their robes now stained with blood.
But none of it felt real. None of it felt right.
Elyra barely registered the bodies falling around her. The familiar faces in pain. The warm blood splattering against her robes. Her world had narrowed to one thing—Lucia.
Lucia who now stood before Elyra, her blade glowing with a fierce light. She didn't move, she just waited.
"Please," Elyra whispered, her voice trembling. "Don't do this."
Lucia smiled at her—a sad, knowing smile. "This is what we were made for, Elyra." Her voice was calm like this was inevitable.
And then, in a flash, Lucia struck.
Elyra barely managed to bring up her own sword in time, the force of Lucia's blow sending a shockwave up her arms. She grunted as she blocked the attack. The Sunfire Blades crackled with burning light, with each swing of Lucia's weapon searing the air.
Elyra staggered back, her feet slipping on the smooth stone beneath her. She gripped her own blade tightly, her eyes wild as she tried to keep up with Lucia's speed. Every strike felt like a hammer on her soul, the pain of her friend—her sister—attacking her was tearing through her heart with each blow.
Lucia's voice rang out again, it was almost a plea. "Fight me," she urged. "You have to."
"I won't," Elyra choked out, her tears were blurring her vision. "Not you."
Lucia's sword faltered for the briefest moment, hesitation flashing across her face. It was all Elyra needed.
With a quick motion, Elyra summoned a Radiant Shield, the barrier of holy energy erupting from her hands in a brilliant burst of light. The shield came into existence just in time to deflect the next strike, Lucia's blade scraping against it with a loud clash. The shield almost shattered under the impact, but it held strong.
Lucia took a step back, her eyes filled with sorrow and resignation. For a moment, the world seemed to pause. But then Lucia's face hardened, and her next words were whispered.
"Then you will die."
Lucia raised her sword and Elyra's heart pounded in her chest as she felt the power building. The golden light around Lucia's weapon intensified, and Elyra knew—this wasn't just a fight. This was a test of survival.
Desperation surged through Elyra. She couldn't lose Lucia. Not like this.
In a desperate move, Elyra extended her hand, drawing on the energy within her. A flash of pure light exploded from her fingertips and she began lightforging a blade.
It took form in her hand—a weapon born of nothing but the sun's power, a blade that could cut through the very shadows of Eryndor.
"No," Elyra whispered, her voice breaking as she faced Lucia. "I won't fight you."
Swiftly, Lucia disarmed Elyra, knocking her blade from her hand. It slid across the bloodstained ground, leaving a trail of glimmering metal behind. Before Elyra could even react, she felt the cold, sharp pressure of Lucia's blade pressed against her throat.
Tears, bright as Solmara's sun, slipped down Lucia's cheeks. Her voice broke the silence. "You were always stronger than me."
Elyra's heart pounded. Her body moved before her mind could process the shock of the moment. She reached up, grabbing Lucia's wrist with a speed honed by years of training, twisting it. Lucia's blade clattered to the ground, lost in the chaos of the moment.
In an instant, Elyra's arm shot around Lucia's throat, locking her in a tight chokehold. Lucia gasped, struggling against Elyra's grip, she struggled, but there was no real resistance. It was as though she had already surrendered.
"Do it," Lucia whispered, her voice was full of quiet acceptance. The words echoed in Elyra's mind, an invitation to end it all. "End it."
Elyra's hands shook. She couldn't breathe—her thoughts were a whirlwind. "I can't," she breathed out, the words barely escaping her lips.
"You have no choice, Elyra," she murmured softly. "Please—end this,I beg of you"
With a strangled cry, Elyra's hand shot out, summoning the light that burned within her. The blade she had lightforged earlier appeared in a burst of golden light .
Lucia's eyes widened just before Elyra drove the blade into her chest. The light-infused weapon cut through her flesh with ease, the raw power of Solmara's light running through it.
"Good," Lucia whispered. "You did it."
Elyra could only watch in stunned horror as Lucia's body crumpled to the ground. The sight of her closest friend, the sister she had always trusted, dissolving into golden fireflies was like a dream unraveling before her eyes.
Something inside her cracked. She couldn't breathe.
A scream tore from her throat,filled with grief and soul-wrenching pain she couldn't put into words. It felt like the ground beneath her was crumbling. She didn't care about the chaos around her. She didn't care about the people still fighting, still screaming.
Her vision was clouded with rage.
Her body moved on instinct, her blades flashing as she slashed through the air. She didn't see her opponents. She didn't hear their cries. All she could hear was the pounding of her heart, the rush of blood in her ears, the violent surge of fury that had taken over her mind.
Her blades sliced through the bodies of those she had trained beside, those she had once called comrades. But now, they were nothing more than obstacles in her path—faces she no longer cared to recognize.
Each strike was fueled by the burning memory of Lucia's smile. Each kill felt like a part of her soul was being torn away, but Elyra couldn't stop herself from destroying everything around her.
The battle raged on for what felt like an eternity, but finally, the courtyard fell silent. Elyra stood in the center surrounded by the wreckage of everything she had once believed in. She was drenched in blood—her own', the blood of her brothers and sisters in arms.
A sound of clap filled the courtyard.
The Inquisitor stepped forward, his eyes sweeping over the blood-soaked ground. A small smile curled on his lips. "Well done," he said. "You are the last one standing. You have risen above them all."
The Radiant Council stood in a quiet circle around Elyra The Inquisitor stepped forward, breaking the heavy silence in the air.
"But your task is not over," he said.
Elyra's heart raced. She had just slain her closest friend, and yet, it seemed her trials were far from finished.
The Inquisitor's gaze never wavered. "The world is still tainted by darkness. Shadows lurk in every corner, corrupting the weak, poisoning the innocent." His voice grew stronger."It must be cleansed."
He took another step toward her.
"You will be my blade, Elyra," he declared, his hand rising into the air. "Go to Eryndor, and purge this world of every trace of darkness—starting from its very root. No hesitation. No mercy."
Elyra stood still. His words felt heavy on her, like a cloak that made it hard to breathe. Memories of Lucia—her friend and like a sister—filled her mind. Her death was still fresh, and she could still see the blood on her hands.
His voice cut through her thoughts. "Kill the Shadow Prince, Elyra. This is your purpose. This is why you survived."
The silence that followed was overwhelming, with the Radiant Council staring at her, waiting for her next move. Elyra could feel their eyes on her.
Elyra felt a bit reluctant but there was no choice. There had never been a choice. She had been forged for this moment, shaped for this path, her very existence dedicated to the eradication of darkness.
"...Yes," she said despite the storm that raged inside her. "I will."
The Inquisitor's eyes gleamed with approval. "Then go, Elyra. Purge the shadows. Be the blade of Solmara, and claim your destiny."
With a final,glance at the Council, Elyra turned. The world had already taken everything from her—her family, her friend, her humanity. Now, there was only one thing left to take. The darkness would be purged. And she would be the one to do it.