The battle between Arson and Glacius intensified in moments.
Flames clashed with frost. Nature struggled to hold its ground.
Ice spears and waves of frost surged from Glacius' hands, only to be incinerated by Arson's flames before they could reach him.
Likewise, Arson's blazing walls of fire met their end near Glacius, reduced to hissing steam as they collided with freezing winds.
The battlefield sizzled and cracked, smoke spiraling into the sky, frost creeping along the charred grass.
And then — silence.
The fighting ceased when Glacius, with practiced calm, called for a break. Arson, bound by the silent pride of their ancient rivalry, accepted.
Tension hung heavy in the air.
Princess Sylvia stood unmoved, her green skin glowing faintly beneath the dimming sun. Vines coiled protectively around her wrists, their slow, deliberate motion mirroring the steady beat of her heart.
Though younger than both princes, her stance held quiet strength. She was no prize, no pawn — she was a guardian of living land, and she would not bow to fire or frost.
Glacius stepped toward her.
His icy gaze softened — or seemed to — the coldness in his expression melting into something more calculated. A thin smile ghosted across his pale lips, his eyes lingering on Sylvia like frost trailing over delicate leaves.
"You are truly a vision, Princess Sylvia," he murmured, his voice smooth as frozen glass.
"Your beauty rivals the most radiant winter morning... untamed, yet captivating."
Each step he took turned the grass beneath him to brittle ice.
Sylvia's jaw tightened. His words weighed heavy — not flattery, but manipulation wrapped in silk. Glacius' charm was a sharpened blade; soft in speech, deadly in purpose.
Arson's flames roared to life.
A wave of heat sliced through the chilling air, steam hissing from the ground as embers danced wildly around him. His amber eyes burned — darker, more furious than the fire at his fingertips.
"Step away from her, Glacius," Arson growled, his voice raw, a volcanic threat ready to erupt.
"The Nature Tribe doesn't need your frozen lies or your empty flattery."
Glacius chuckled, soft as falling snow.
"Ah, Arson... always so quick to burn. I speak only the truth."
He turned back to Sylvia, his smile deepening.
"It would be a shame for such a radiant princess to waste herself on a dying forest, when she could stand beside a king of ice."
"Join me, Sylvia. Align your tribe with the Ice Kingdom. Together, we could preserve what remains of your precious land — frozen, eternal, untouchable by flame."
Sylvia's fingers twitched. Beneath the soil, roots stirred at her silent command.
"You call freezing my homeland preservation?" Her voice was calm, a quiet storm brewing beneath the words.
"Turning my forests into lifeless statues is no better than reducing them to ash."
Arson smirked at her answer, his flames flaring higher.
"See, Glacius? She's smarter than you think. She sees through your pathetic ploy."
But Glacius remained unbothered. His charm, like his ice, did not shatter so easily.
"I offer you strength, Sylvia. Protection. With your nature and my ice, we could reshape this world. Your tribe need never fear fire again... not if your forests are encased in unyielding frost."
A shiver of revulsion crawled through Sylvia's veins. Her forests were alive — breathing, growing, ever-changing. To freeze them was to murder them slowly.
"We do not need your protection," she said, voice firm as ancient roots.
"The Nature Tribe stands on its own."
A flicker of satisfaction crossed Arson's face.
"Told you," he sneered. "She'd never betray her roots."
But his pride turned quickly to something darker.
Arson stepped closer, flames crackling louder with every step.
"And don't you dare think about siding with them," he warned, his voice low and dangerous.
"Because if you do... we'll burn every last tree until there's nothing left."
Sylvia's gaze sharpened.
"So those are your terms?"
Arson's expression faltered — frustration warring with something unspoken.
"No," he said at last, rough and unforgiving.
"That's a promise."
The two princes stood face-to-face again, fire and ice on the brink of war.
And between them stood Sylvia — unbending, unyielding.
A force of nature caught between destruction and domination.