The canyon roared with smoke and fire. Marlic's army had scattered, but he remained—solid now, his form no longer just whispers. Shadow clung to him like armor, ember eyes burning with fury.
Elira stepped forward, the crown hovering above her, pulsing with light. Her mark blazed, fire spilling from her wrist. "You wanted the crown. Now face it."
Marlic's smile was sharp, cruel. "You think memory makes you strong? It makes you weak. I was chosen once. I will be chosen again."
He lunged, smoke twisting into a blade. Elira met him head‑on, her fire surging into a shield. The clash shook the canyon, sparks and ash raining down. Flame and shadow collided, each strike echoing like thunder.
Kael moved to intervene, blade raised—but Marlic's smoke lashed out, forcing him back. "This is between us," Marlic hissed. "Brother, you will watch her burn as you watched me."
Elira's fire flared hotter, her voice steady despite the crown's whispers. "I am not you. I do not fall to shadow."
Marlic's blade struck again, shadow slicing through flame. Elira staggered, the crown pulsing violently. Visions flashed—Marlic's laughter, Kael's silence, betrayal and mercy tangled together. She clenched her fist, forcing the fire outward, driving Marlic back.
The duel raged—flame against smoke, memory against shadow. Each strike was more than battle; it was history itself, rewritten in fire.
Marlic's voice thundered. "You cannot trust him. He will betray you."
Elira's fire surged, her mark blazing brighter than ever. "Then I will trust myself."
She unleashed a torrent of flame, engulfing Marlic's form. Shadow screamed, smoke twisting violently. For a moment, his figure faltered—half‑man, half‑ash.
Kael broke through the haze, blade striking beside her. Flame and steel cut together, forcing Marlic to retreat into the canyon's depths. His voice lingered, echoing like smoke: "This is not the end. The crown will burn you too."
The canyon fell silent. Elira stood, chest heaving, the crown glowing fiercely above her. Kael lowered his blade, eyes locked on her. "You don't have to fight him alone," he said.
But Elira's gaze stayed on the shadows where Marlic had vanished. The duel was over—but the war had only begun.