The sound of war echoed through the crystal walls of the ice palace. Aoleria stood atop the highest tower of the northern keep, her gaze fixed on the horizon. From the west, a thick black mist slithered across the land like a living serpent, smothering the earth beneath it. It was the unmistakable sign of Zytherion's approaching army.
In the frozen courtyard below, the White Dwarves gathered in disciplined ranks. Though small in stature, their shields and axes—crafted entirely of enchanted ice—glimmered beneath the pale moonlight. From the palace gardens, the Wild Butterflies ascended into the night sky, their wings beating with a sound like a rising storm, scattering frost and shimmering petals through the air.
Aoleria stepped forward, her voice carrying like a blizzard across the night:
"Tonight, we fight not only for our land, but for the very existence of light and life. Zytherion's darkness will never claim our souls!"
The dwarves roared as one, and the butterflies burst into a dazzling swarm of radiant light, filling the sky like a living constellation.
A distant rumble rose from the depths of the forest, followed by the trembling of the earth. From the black mist emerged the Undying Warriors, their rotting armor fused with living shadow. Behind them came the Shade Beasts, creatures born of darkness itself, roaring with hunger and rage.
And then, from the deepest part of the cursed wood, Zytherion appeared.
His armor was black as midnight, his crimson eyes burning like twin suns of hatred. Wherever his warhorse's hooves struck, the ground withered and decayed.
"My frozen flower," he sneered, his voice cutting through the night. "Did you truly believe you could stop me?"
Aoleria's reply was sharp as breaking ice.
"I am not here to stop you, Zytherion. I am here to seal you away forever."
The clash began like a sudden storm.
The White Dwarves met the Undying Warriors head-on, ice shields shattering, bones splintering. Above, the Wild Butterflies dove from the sky, their razor-sharp wings slicing through the Shade Beasts' glowing eyes.
Aoleria summoned a raging blizzard, sending spears of frozen wind across the battlefield. Each breath she exhaled became a dagger of frost that tore through flesh and shadow alike.
But Zytherion countered, his dark magic expanding like a living void, swallowing the storm. With a guttural incantation, he unleashed a wave of black fire that blotted out the stars.
Finally, amidst the chaos, they came face to face.
Zytherion's eyes blazed with both fury and a strange, burning admiration.
"Your light burns me," he said, his voice a mix of pain and desire, "but it also makes me feel alive."
Aoleria's heart faltered for a moment.
"You are darkness, Zytherion," she said, her voice trembling. "And I will never love you."
Zytherion's lips curled into a cold, wicked smile.
"You don't know yet, Aoleria. Love and hate… are but two sides of the same frozen coin."
For the briefest heartbeat, their hands reached toward one another.
Then Aoleria conjured a spear of pure ice and hurled it at Zytherion. He dodged at the last moment, the spear striking the ground with a deafening crack, freezing the earth beneath it.
The battlefield was left stained with blood, shadow, and frost.
But this was only the calm before the storm