The evening prior.

The village lay in ruins. Broken buildings and charred remnants of homes lined the streets. The market square was now a desolate wasteland, littered with debris and the occasional flicker of dying fires. The air was thick with the acrid smell of smoke and the faint, lingering scent of blood.

The silence was almost deafening in the eerie calm that followed the destruction. No birds sang, no insects buzzed. The only sound was the occasional creak of collapsing timber or the distant, mournful cry of a survivor mourning their loss. It was as if the village itself was holding its breath, waiting for something to finish it off.

From the edge of the village, a radiant light began to pierce through the gloom. A figure cloaked in a shimmering aura walked with ethereal grace, her presence alone, causing the air to shimmer with power. Her footsteps were silent, but each step seemed to pulse with an unspoken command, demanding attention and respect.

She surveyed the devastation with detached interest, as if the suffering and destruction were collateral damage in a larger scheme. Each step moved her further into the village, and the light around her grew more intense, illuminating the dark corners and casting long shadows that seemed to writhe in her presence. The ground beneath her feet seemed to whisper her name, acknowledging her arrival.

A figure emerged from the shadows of a crumbling building nearby, her presence immediately commanding attention. Elder Tanithil, her once deep green eyes now a fierce and glowing crimson, stepped forward with a pulsing aura of power. Every step radiated an unspoken threat.

Tanithil’s appearance was not what it had been a few hours earlier. Her long, silver hair, normally flowing like a moonlight river, was now a mess of unkempt tangles. Her robes, intricately embroidered with ancient runes, bore burn marks, tears, and rips. She stopped a few paces from the woman before her, the tension between them thick enough to cut.

The glowing woman turned, a cold smile playing on her lips. “Tanithil,” she said, her voice echoing with a faint, otherworldly resonance. “Still clinging to the old ways, I see. It’s almost admirable, in a pathetic sort of way.”

Tanithil’s eyes narrowed, her crimson gaze burning with intensity. “And you, still a puppet to your goddess, Lyrandis,” she retorted, her voice steady but filled with raw pain. “I never thought I’d see the day you’d betray everything we fought for.”

The Saint—Lyrandis—smiled wider, her eyes gleaming with a dangerous light. “Times change, old friend. The world has moved on. Perhaps it’s time you did, too. You’re living in a dream, clinging to a goddess who abandoned us.”

Tanithil took a step forward, her hands crackling with barely contained energy. “You speak of change, yet all I see is corruption and tyranny. You sold your soul for power, Lyrandis. Forsaking our goddess, forsaking me, and everything we believed in.”

Lyrandis’ expression hardened, her aura flaring with intensity. “And what has your loyalty gotten you? A village in ruins? A dying cause? Open your eyes, Tanithil. The old ways are dead. Our goddess is dead. And you’re clinging to a memory that no longer exists.”

Tanithil’s eyes blazed even brighter, her voice raw with the pain of loss. “The old ways may be fading, but they are not dead. As long as there is breath in my body, I will fight for what is right. I will fight for my goddess, our beliefs, and the memory of what we once were. I will stop you, Lyrandis, no matter the cost.”

The tension in the air grew thicker as the two powerful figures faced each other, their auras crackling with energy. Tanithil’s eyes, now a blazing crimson, bore into Lyrandis with a mixture of anger and sorrow.

“Do you remember, Lyrandis?” Tanithil’s voice trembled with a mixture of grief and rage. “Do you remember when we fought side by side, our magic intertwined, our hearts united for our goddess? We were unstoppable.”

Lyrandis’ expression flickered, a momentary softness breaking through her cold facade. “Of course, I remember. We shared victories and sacrifices. We were the goddess’s chosen, her most loyal defenders. No one could stand against us.”

A brief flashback filled Tanithil’s mind: the two of them, younger and full of hope, standing together on a battlefield. Their combined magic created a dazzling display of power, repelling enemy forces and protecting their people. They were inseparable, their bond unbreakable.

“But you changed,” Tanithil continued, her voice now tinged with bitterness. “You abandoned our ideals, our shared dreams. You turned your back on everything we stood for.”

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Lyrandis’ eyes hardened again, her voice sharp. “I saw the truth, Tanithil. Our goddess was weak, clinging to old ways that no longer served our world. My new goddess offered a future, a vision of strength and order. I made a choice for the greater good.”

Another flashback surged through Tanithil’s mind: the day Lyrandis made her fateful decision. They stood in a sacred grove, the air thick with tension. Lyrandis’ eyes, once filled with determination, now held a cold resolve. “Join me, Tanithil. My new goddess will bring us power beyond our wildest dreams. We can shape the world as we see fit.”

Tanithil’s heart had shattered that day. “I will not betray the goddess who gave us everything,” she had replied, her voice steady despite the pain. “You’re being blinded by power, Lyrandis. This new path will only lead to destruction.”

The memory faded, and Tanithil’s voice broke with raw emotion. “You chose power over loyalty, over our bond. And look at what it has brought you. A world of corruption and death. Was it worth it, Lyrandis? Was it worth destroying everything we believed in?”

Lyrandis’ aura flared, her voice filled with regret and defiance. “I made the choice I had to make, Tanithil. The old ways were dying. I did what I believed was necessary for survival.”

Tanithil’s eyes blazed even brighter, her hands trembling with barely contained energy. “Survival? This isn’t survival. This is enslavement. You’ve forsaken everything for power, and now you stand here, a pawn in the hands of a false goddess.”

Lyrandis took a step forward, her aura radiating a dangerous intensity. “Your loyalty, Tanithil, blinds you. Open your eyes and see the truth. The world has changed, and clinging to the past will only lead to ruin.”

Tanithil’s voice was a whisper, but it carried the weight of their shared past. “The past may be gone, but our beliefs and ideals still matter. I will fight for them, Lyrandis. I will fight for my goddess, for what we once were, even if it means standing against you.”

Lyrandis’ expression twisted in rage and anguish, her eyes blazing with a dangerous light. The air around her shimmered with raw power, and her aura flared almost blindingly.

“You know nothing of what I’ve sacrificed!” she screamed, her voice echoing with a booming resonance. She raised her hands, summoning an immense force that crackled with fiery energy as she cast [Dragon’s breath.]

A torrent of blazing fire erupted from her outstretched hands, the flames taking the shape of a massive dragon’s head. The heat was unbearable, the fire scorching the very air as it surged towards Tanithil with a roar that shook the ground.

Tanithil’s eyes widened at the sight of the deadly spell, but she didn’t hesitate. She thrust her hands forward, and the ground beneath her feet rumbled. [Earthen Golem.] she shouted, her voice filled with command and desperation.

The earth around her responded, rising to form a towering, solid rock and soil golem. The golem’s massive form intercepted the fiery onslaught, its surface glowing red-hot as it absorbed the brunt of the attack. The ground split beneath the force, cracks spidering outwards as the intensity of their clash reverberated through the village.

Tanithil and Lyrandis stood their ground, their powers colliding with such force that the air crackled and sparked. The sky above them lit up with the brilliance of their magic, casting an otherworldly glow over the devastated village.

Lyrandis’ Dragons Breath continued to pour forth, the Dragon’s head snapping and writhing as it tried to breach the golem’s defences. The sheer heat began to melt the stone, causing molten rock to drip and sizzle on the ground. But Tanithil’s determination held firm, her connection to the earth unwavering.

“Is this all you’ve got, Lyrandis?” Tanithil shouted over the roar of the flames, her voice filled with sorrow. “You’ve traded everything for power, but you’ll find no victory here!”

Lyrandis’ face contorted with rage, her eyes narrowing as she poured more energy into her spell. “You’re a fool, Tanithil! Your stubbornness will be your undoing!”

With a final, thunderous roar, the earthen golem shattered, the pieces flying in all directions. But Tanithil had already prepared her next move. As the remnants of the golem fell away, she summoned a shield of shimmering light, deflecting the remaining flames and sending them scattering harmlessly into the sky.

Already in ruins, the village square bore the brunt of their unleashed power. Buildings crumbled, the ground split open to reveal fiery chasms, and the air hummed with the residual energy of their clash. The few standing structures were toppled, kicking up clouds of dust that mingled with the lingering smoke.

Tanithil and Lyrandis faced each other, their breaths heavy, their auras still blazing with power. The first clash had ended, but the intensity of their battle had only just begun. The ground beneath their feet trembled, and the very fabric of reality seemed to waver in the presence of their combined might.

“You’ll never understand,” Lyrandis hissed, her voice low but filled with venom. “You’ll never see the future I’m fighting for.”

“And you’ll never see the cost of your betrayal. You were like a sister to me. I trusted you. Gave you everything I had, and you threw it away,” Tanithil retorted, her eyes blazing with renewed resolve. “But I’ll make sure you pay it, here and now.”

The ground shook as Tanithil and Lyrandis faced off, their powers growing more intense with each passing moment. The air around them crackled with raw energy, and the village square seemed to bend and warp under the weight of their magic.

Lyrandis raised her arms, her eyes blazing with fury. “You think you can stop me, Tanithil? Do you think you can protect this village? Let’s see how you handle this!” She called forth a spell, her voice echoing. “[Inferno Strike!]”

A massive column of fire erupted from the ground, spiralling towards Tanithil with unstoppable force. The heat was so intense that the air seemed to sizzle, and the earth around the column blackened and cracked.

Tanithil let a confident smile creep onto her face, her eyes shimmering with an unyielding resolve. As she flexed her hand, arcs of lightning danced across her fingertips, illuminating the determination etched in her expression.