The Original Realm

The sanctum erupted in chaos. Sylveria's clones had vanished, their energy retreating back into her core. The moment the final wisp of her essence returned, the air around her changed. It crackled with an intensity that made Calista pause mid-step. Sylveria's form, battered and bloodied, seemed to radiate an aura of raw, unfiltered power.

Calista's lips curled into a smirk as she took a step back, eyeing the queen with mock amusement. "So this is what you look like at full strength," she sneered, her voice dripping with derision. "How noble of you, to sacrifice yourself for your precious citizens. To bleed, to break, just so they can scurry away like frightened mice."

She flicked her wrist, sending a thin string of glowing emerald energy toward Sylveria, who deflected it with a flick of her dagger. Calista continued, circling her prey like a predator toying with its meal.

"Is it worth it, Mirrorblade?" Calista taunted, her voice rising. "How many scars have you earned in their name? How much of yourself have you lost protecting creatures who don't even know your name? Do you think they'll remember you? Do you think they'll care, when you're nothing but a mangled corpse beneath my feet?"

Sylveria stood motionless, her breathing steady despite the blood dripping from countless lacerations across her body. Her grip tightened on her dagger, her cold gaze locked onto Calista. When she spoke, her voice carried a weight that silenced even the mocking threads of Calista's laughter.

"Responsibility is not about being remembered," Sylveria began, her words calm yet seething with conviction. "It's not about glory, nor gratitude, nor the fleeting admiration of the people. Responsibility is the price one has to pay for power, for the privilege of standing where others cannot. It is the burden of those who hold the lives of others in their hands."

She took a step forward, her presence growing more imposing with each word. Calista hesitated, but the queen pressed on.

"You mock me for protecting my people? For taking their pain onto myself? I wear these scars with pride. Each one is a testament to a life saved, a child who gets to see another sunrise, a parent who gets to hold their family again. If my body must be destroyed, if I must sacrifice everything I have and ever will have to save even a single soul, then so be it."

Sylveria's voice rose, ringing through the sanctum like a war cry. "Power is meaningless without purpose. Leadership is hollow without sacrifice. You think I fight for myself? No. I fight because someone must. Because the people you trample underfoot, the lives you dismiss so easily—they deserve someone who will stand for them. Someone who will endure, no matter the cost."

The weight of her words hung heavy in the air. Even Calista, for all her arrogance, seemed taken aback by the raw intensity of Sylveria's conviction. But her surprise quickly morphed into disdain, her sneer returning as she waved her strings in a dismissive flourish.

"How touching," Calista said mockingly, though her voice wavered slightly. "A martyr's speech, dripping with self-righteousness. But you'll find that sacrifice won't save you now."

Sylveria didn't flinch. Her resolve was unshaken as she moved with purpose, her blade carving through the air as the distance between them lessened.

Aldric vs. the Beast

Meanwhile, Aldric was growing tired of his fight. The beast, pulsing with Calista's strings, lunged at him with relentless fury. Despite its massive size and raw power, Aldric dodged each swipe with ease, his small frame moving like a golden blur.

"Okay, big guy," Aldric muttered, cracking his knuckles as he sidestepped another attack. "You're durable, I'll give you that. But this sanctum is starting to feel a little cramped for a fight like this."

The beast roared, its claws raking the stone floor as it charged. Aldric crouched low, his fists glowing with Advent energy. Then, with a sudden burst of speed, he launched himself upward, delivering a powerful uppercut that sent the beast hurtling thousands of feet into the air.

The creature smashed through the ceiling, its contorted form disappearing into the sky above. Aldric grinned, flexing his body as he prepared for what came next. "Let's take this outside," he said to himself, leaping after the beast.

High above the sanctum, the air was filled with the glow of Aldric's advent. He caught up to the creature as it flailed in midair, his grin widening as he reared back his fist.

"Alright, pal," Aldric said, his voice echoing through the heavens. "Time to end this."

He delivered a punch so powerful that the sky seemed to shatter. The explosion of Advent energy illuminated the horizon, a blinding flash that sent shockwaves rippling through the landscape. The beast was practically vaporized, its remains scattering like dust in the wind.

As Aldric began to descend, the sanctum below came back into view. His sharp eyes caught the flicker of movement within the dust-filled chamber. Sylveria and Calista were locked in combat, the fight being completely one-sided for them. But something was off. Calista wasn't retreating or fighting defensively—she was grinning.

Thalrien's Perspective

Thalrien knocked out the last guard with his halberd, the weight of the battle leaving him breathless. His armor was scuffed, his weapon slick with blood, but he had fought his way through them all.

As he rested, he looked up just in time to see Aldric high in the air, his small form glowing with golden energy as he delivered a devastating punch to the beast. The resulting explosion lit up the chamber, the shockwave sending debris flying. The beast's massive form plummeted lifelessly to the ground.

Aldric landed with a thud, his fists still blazing with energy. Without hesitation, he and Sylveria advanced on Calista, the queen's clones darting around her like shadows while Aldric charged head-on.

But Calista reacted quickly. With a flick of her strings, she tore through the rubble around her, creating a thick cloud of dust that filled the sanctum.

Thalrien squinted through the haze, his halberd steady as he tried to make sense of the chaos. When the dust began to settle, his stomach twisted at what he saw.

Instead of the two-on-one assault he expected, all three were attacking each other. Aldric's glowing fists struck out at Sylveria's clones as fiercely as they targeted Calista. Sylveria darted between Aldric and Calista, her dagger flashing against strings and golden energy alike. And Calista's threads lashed out indiscriminately, aiming to overwhelm both her opponents.

The alliance had crumbled. The battle had become a chaotic free-for-all.

Luke and Eleanor: The Last Defense

Far below the sanctum, in the heart of the relic chamber, Luke and Eleanor stood in tense silence. The sounds of battle echoed above them, each crash and explosion a grim reminder of the chaos unfolding just outside.

"We should be up there," Luke muttered, pacing back and forth. "They're fighting for their lives, and we're just… sitting here."

"We've been given an important task," Eleanor said calmly, her gaze fixed on the ancient Elf relic glowing softly in the center of the room. "If we lose the relic, everything they're fighting for will be meaningless and....even if we want to help, we don't stand a chance in that battle up there."

Before Luke could respond, a deep, guttural growl echoed through the chamber. Both of them froze, their attention focused as the sound grew louder.

From the shadows, a massive form emerged—a bear, its fur black as night covered in spikes and its eyes burning with an unnatural green light. Luke's breath caught in his throat as recognition dawned.

"It's… it's the bear," he whispered, his body slowly flowing with advent. "The one that attacked me when I first came to Athereon."

Eleanor's expression darkened. "It's a shadow bear," she said grimly. "It's probably controlled by that Hand of Fate to sneak in and grab the relic."

The bear roared, the sound reverberating through the chamber as it advanced toward them. Luke and Eleanor exchanged a glance, their determination mirrored in each other's eyes.

"We're the last defense," Eleanor said, raising her bow as the relic glowed brighter behind them. "We can't let it pass."

Luke nodded, stepping forward to face the beast. "Then we fight."

The bear lunged, and the chamber erupted into chaos once more.