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The monster let out another shrill screech, charging through the forest like a boulder rolling downhill. Its scaled body gleamed, dark as obsidian and pulsing with corrupted energy. Trees fell like matchsticks in its wake. The group had no time to plan—only act.
Kane: "Form a line! Protect Elara!"
Varek: "We barely have half our powers, Kane! What're we fighting it with—sarcasm?"
Porcupine: "Oh great, we're all gonna die. Tell my cactus wife I loved her."
Elara stood still at the center of the chaos, her eyes locked on the creature's glowing red core embedded in its chest. Her instincts screamed—this was no wild beast. This was sent. A message.
The warriors formed a makeshift formation, steel blades meeting claw and flame. Even without their full strength, their training showed. But it wasn't enough. Every strike against the creature bounced off with a clatter of sparks. Every dodge was closer than the last.
Dax, bleeding from the shoulder: "We're just wasting time!"
Elara raised her hand, blue light forming in a swirling vortex around her palm. Ice rippled outward from her feet as she stepped forward, ignoring the screams to stay back.
Elara: "Get away from it. Now!"
Kane: "Elara—"
She didn't wait. She knew the power inside her. She just hadn't dared to release it until now.
She threw her hands forward.
Elara: "Glaciem vinculum!"
(Binding Ice!)
From the ground beneath the creature, a spear of crystalline frost erupted, piercing its leg and rooting it to the forest floor. More ice snaked up like vines, wrapping around the beast's body. It thrashed, letting out a warped roar, trying to melt through the encasing frost with its inner heat—but it was too late.
Elara's breath caught in her throat. Her veins glowed faintly blue.
The ice wasn't just hers.
It was divine.
The beast howled one final time before cracking into pieces like shattered glass, its corrupted soul evaporating into black mist.
Silence fell.
The only sound was Elara's ragged breathing and the occasional grunt from the warriors, trying to process what they'd just witnessed.
Varek: "That… was hot. Wait—cold. That was cold. Very cold."
Porcupine: "Well, well, if it isn't our frosty princess revealing her true nature. Remind me not to annoy you when you're cranky."
Elara turned to face them, her eyes no longer glowing.
Elara: "I didn't mean to—"
Kane (cutting her off): "You just saved our lives."
The others nodded in agreement, though there was a trace of unease. She had used divine ice—sacred energy of the Light God. But Elara looked just as terrified as they felt.
They spent the rest of the day recovering and repairing what little damage they could. The Porcupine made jokes, which helped—marginally.
Porcupine: "So, who votes Elara as team leader? She's got the power, the looks, and the healing herbs. That's like, three-for-three. Plus, I'm cute. So we win."
---
Later that evening, as Elara sat apart, tending to wounds with her herbal pouch, the warriors couldn't help but watch her.
She had secrets. A growing power. A divine lineage.
And whether they liked it or not, she was their only hope.
But they weren't the only ones watching her.
Far away, through the shattered remains of the beast's body, a pair of golden eyes flickered open from another realm.
???: "She's awakened… Just like the prophecy said."
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End of Chapter 8
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