Vesta's body laid among the smoldering ruins of the arena, covered in soot and dried blood.
Her entire form was raw flesh, except for the areas so severely burned that only exposed bone remained, blackened by the flames.
Her chest still rose and fell almost imperceptibly, a sign that, somehow, she was still alive, though on the brink of death.
The insane strength that had been driving her was gone, and now all that remained was a broken body, unconscious and unmoving like a shattered statue.
Inanna walked toward her in silence, her light steps contrasting with the devastation around her.
Her eyes studied the scene with a strange mixture of respect and sorrow.
She knew. Vesta could no longer continue, and since she was unconscious, she couldn't declare her own surrender.
"Then I'll do it for you…" Inanna whispered, her voice serene.
With a subtle gesture, she extended her hand, and a golden aura began to envelop the fallen warrior's body.
