“War? Exactly what we’re tryin’ to avoid, lady,” sneered a tall, scar-faced man whose black cloak bore a crude serpent insignia. In his hands he held a curious contraption – a metal staff ending in a wide-mouthed cone studded with glowing runes. He leveled it at Lucianna and Aetherlyn. “Orders are to take you alive, if possible.”Before Lucianna could react, the device emitted a thunderous pulse. A shockwave of null-magic energy blasted through the air. She gasped as her magical connection to the vines abruptly severed – the plants fell limp. Across from her, Tyriel staggered, momentarily weakened as the protective enchantments in his armor flickered.In that instant, a hulking slaver barreled through the dissipating sound barri

By dusk, Lucianna and Tyriel staggered through Avelline City’s towering gates. The setting sun painted the winter sky in blood-orange hues, and the city’s torches flickered to life one by one. Lucianna’s cloak was torn, and Tyriel leaned heavily on his spear with each step. Dirt, sweat, and blood smeared them both. They had escaped one nightmare only to find themselves in another.Avelline City was supposed to be neutral ground – a place where no blade would be drawn against emissaries. But as the two elves limped into the bustling streets, they met not sympathy but a wall of cold stares and muttered suspicion.Whispers followed in their wake. Townsfolk darted into alleyways or slammed shutters at the mere sight of Lucianna’s leaf-embroidered cloak and Tyriel’s silver armor. A mother scooped up her toddler and rushed away, ca

The journey to Carosso was long and weary, but under Eric and Selena’s vigilant escort, Lucianna and Tyriel finally reached the Dragon Emperor’s capital city. As they passed beneath Carosso’s towering gates – guarded by ranks of proud soldiers – the two elves could not help but marvel. The city beyond was vibrant and orderly; banners bearing Ethan’s golden dragon emblem fluttered from every spire. Even at midnight, the streets bustled with life under warm lamplight. After the menace and mistrust of Avelline, Carosso felt like an oasis of safety.Yet neither Lucianna nor Tyriel had come to admire the scenery. Their hearts remained heavy with their mission and with the loss of Aetherlyn. They rode directly to the imperial palace, an imposing citadel of white stone and blue glass crowning the city’s center.Inside the gran

Celestia hovered there a moment, high enough that the moon’s glow outlined her armored form. Then she drew a deep breath and swept her arm out in an elegant arc. “Dragon’s Veil: Moonshadow Storm,” she intoned softly.A swirling barrier of shadowy energy unfurled around her – an ethereal vortex of midnight hues dancing like liquid obsidian.“Loose arrows! Bring her down!” cried a panicked sergeant from the wall. A swarm of arrows and bolts soared upward at Celestia, desperate attempts to strike her from the sky.Celestia’s lips curved ever so slightly. The storm of darkness around her pulsed outward. In an instant, every arrow that hurtled into the dark aura was hurled back as if caught in a gale and reversed. Agonized screams rang out as dozens of Avelline’s own

By the time dawn’s first light crept over Avelline City, Duke Malric’s reign of terror had definitively ended. Under heavy guard, Malric was dragged from his hiding place and forced to his knees in the courtyard of his own half-ruined manor. The once-proud Duke was barely recognizable now – his fine velvet doublet torn and soot-stained, one eye swollen shut, his powdered wig lost in the scramble to capture him. Two Carosso knights hauled him forward and kept him bowed on the blood-spattered marble.Emperor Ethan approached with measured steps, his black armor glinting with the red hues of sunrise filtering through the collapsed roof. Celestia strode just behind him, expression as pitiless as an avenging angel’s. Lucianna and the other companions gathered around – exhausted, bloodied, but resolute – to witness judgment.Malric lifted his head, trembling. Gone wa