Marlic's spear drove deeper, shadow tearing through Kael's chest. His blade slipped, his body trembling, life fading. The alliance cried out, torches sputtering, shields cracking.
Then the shards blazed.
Elira rose, eyes burning with light. The fragments of her shattered crown pulsed violently, drawn to her hands. Memory surged—not only hers, but every shard carried by the alliance.
She screamed, voice ringing across the valley.
"Grief is not yours alone, Marlic. It belongs to all who endure. And tonight, we endure together!"
The shards erupted, flame and smoke entwining into a torrent of light. They wrapped around Kael, sealing his wound, lifting him from the abyss. His eyes flared with shard‑light once more.
Marlic staggered, his spear faltering. "No… this cannot be. I broke the crown. I shattered memory!"
Elira stepped forward, shards blazing around her like a new crown reborn. "You broke nothing. You freed us. And now, we rise."
The alliance roared, torches blazing, shields pulsing. The abyss trembled, Marlic's dominion faltering.