Caelum's consciousness slowly emerged from the darkness, as if he was rising from the depths of an ocean of obscurity. His eyelids opened with difficulty, revealing a blurry and disorienting world. He blinked several times, trying to make sense of his surroundings. Each heartbeat painfully resonated in his skull, and a metallic taste persisted in his mouth.

As his vision cleared, he realized he was in a sort of cavern with crystalline walls, faintly shimmering with a bluish glow. The crystals seemed to pulse to the rhythm of an invisible heart, casting moving shadows on the walls, giving the illusion that the cavern itself was alive.

Caelum tried to sit up, each movement sending waves of pain through his battered body. His muscles protested, as if he had been fighting for days without rest. That's when he saw them: a few meters away, Sir Alden was painfully getting up, his wary gaze fixed on a third silhouette.

Zephyr.

The sight of the Order of the Veil's lieutenant raised in Caelum a wave of rage so intense it was almost blinding. Memories of recent events flooded his mind: the fight, the threats, Kaela in danger... Each image rekindled his anger, making his blood boil in his veins.

"You! Why don't bastards like you die in these circumstances?" Caelum growled, his voice hoarse with anger and pain. The word came out like an animal growl, charged with all the hatred he felt.

Zephyr turned to him, a smirk on his lips. His eyes, icy blue, shone with an unhealthy glow in the dimness of the cavern. "Ah, the little hero is awake," he mocked, his voice dripping with sarcasm. "Perfect, it would be a shame if you missed the show."

Alden, now fully alert, interposed himself between Caelum and Zephyr. His body was tense like a bow, ready to pounce at the slightest movement. "Not one step closer," he warned, his hand on the hilt of his sword. The blade emitted a slight metallic hiss as he partially drew it from its scabbard.

Caelum observed Alden with a mixture of confusion and mistrust. What role was he really playing in all this? Friend or foe? Doubts swirled in his mind, adding to the cacophony of his emotions.

Zephyr chuckled, twirling his scythe. The blade traced deadly arcs in the air, reflecting the bluish glow of the crystals. "Oh, how touching. The knight protects his little protégé." His tone suddenly hardened, all trace of amusement disappearing. "But against me, you stand no chance, you MAGGOTS!"

Caelum's mind was racing, evaluating their options. They were two against one, but Zephyr was a formidable opponent. And where were the others? Kaela, Raven, Dorian... were they safe? Concern for his friends mingled with his rage, creating an explosive emotional cocktail.

"What do you want, Zephyr?" Caelum asked, trying to buy time while looking for a way out.

Zephyr's smile widened, revealing unnaturally white teeth. "What do I want? Oh, it's simple. I want to see the world burn and be reborn from its ashes. And you, little frail knights, are in my way."

Meanwhile, in another part of this crystalline labyrinth, Kaela, Raven, and Dorian were facing their own desperate battle against Nyx. The echo of their clashes resonated in the corridors, mingling with the constant rustling of the crystals.

Raven, already weakened by his previous injuries, struggled to stay on his feet. His face was pale, covered with a thin film of sweat, and his breathing was labored. Despite everything, he held his dagger firmly, refusing to give up.

Kaela, sword in hand, tried to protect her companions while looking for an opening in Nyx's defense. Her movements were fluid, her knight training showing in every parry and every attack. But Nyx was fast, almost elusive, her daggers dancing in the air like extensions of her body.

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Dorian, at the back, cast spell after spell, trying to create openings for his friends while protecting them from Nyx's most vicious attacks. The air crackled with magical energy, multicolored sparks bursting with each incantation.

Suddenly, Nyx launched a vicious attack towards Kaela. Time seemed to slow down as the poisoned blade cut through the air, aiming for the young woman's heart. Raven, in a burst of desperate bravery, interposed himself. The dagger bit deep into his side, the poison instantly spreading through his body.

"Raven!" Kaela's heart-rending cry echoed in the cavern as her friend collapsed in her arms. She caught him, feeling his body become heavy and cold. "No, no, no... Raven, hang on!"

Something broke in Kaela at that moment. A pure, primal rage rose in her like a crashing wave. Her eyes, usually a deep blue, lit up with a supernatural golden glow. An aura of icy blue fire enveloped her, making even Nyx back away in surprise.

"You're going to pay for this, bitch!" Kaela growled, her voice resonating with an ancient and terrible power. The air around her seemed to vibrate, charged with an energy that made the hair stand up on the back of one's neck.

It was then that a voice, deep and ancient as the sun itself, resonated in her mind. It was both everywhere and nowhere, filling every fiber of her being.

"Kaela Solarius, child of Solara, hear my call. I am Helios, and I offer you my strength. The destiny of Astrelia rests on your shoulders. Do you accept this power and the responsibility that comes with it?"

Without hesitation, Kaela accepted this divine power. "I accept," she whispered, her voice barely audible but charged with determination.

An explosion of light burst from her, blinding and burning like the heart of a star. The entire cavern was flooded with this divine glow, the crystals reacting by amplifying the light until it seemed that the sun itself had descended into the depths of the earth.

Nyx backed away, for the first time a glimmer of fear in her obsidian eyes. "What is... How is this possible?" she whispered, her voice trembling with disbelief.

Dorian, stunned by this transformation, quickly regained his senses. The magic emanating from Kaela was like nothing he had ever felt before. It was ancient, powerful, and terribly dangerous. Taking advantage of Nyx's distraction, he quickly incanted, his hands tracing complex symbols in the air.

"Ice Block !" he shouted, his voice resonating with a new power. A wall of ice burst from the ground, its sparkling crystals reflecting the divine light emanating from Kaela. The ice coiled around Nyx, trapping her in a crystalline cage.

The ensuing battle was of an almost unbearable intensity. Kaela, invested with Helios' power, moved with superhuman grace and power. Each of her blows was like the strike of a meteor, leaving trails of light in her wake. Nyx, despite all her skill, struggled to stand up to this unleashed force of nature.

Dorian alternated between offensive and defensive spells, his magic mingling with Kaela's divine aura to create spectacular effects. Blue flames danced on the ice, creating a spectacle as beautiful as it was deadly. While fighting, he kept a worried eye on Raven who lay motionless, his breathing becoming weaker and weaker.

In another part of this crystalline maze, Lady Lyanna and Blacky Umbramort were engaged in a duel of terrifying intensity. The air crackled with dark energy and ancient magic, each spell cast leaving luminous traces in the air like scars in reality itself.

The Echo Crystal, object of their covetousness, had disappeared, but that had only intensified their combat. Each accused the other of having hidden or destroyed it, adding fury to their already deadly attacks.

Blacky, his eyes black as bottomless wells, cast spell after spell, each more vicious than the last. Living shadows sprang from his hands, seeking to engulf Lyanna. The air around him seemed darker, as if light itself was fleeing his presence.

"You don't understand the magnitude of what's at stake," Blacky growled, dodging an attack from Lyanna. His voice was hoarse, charged with ancient anger and unwavering determination. "The Seal must be broken! It's the only way to save this dying world !"

Lyanna, drawing on reserves of strength she didn't know she had, parried and counterattacked with fierce determination. Her magic, ordinarily subtle and controlled, was now unleashed, responding to the urgency of the moment. Waves of silvery light sprang from her hands, pushing back Blacky's darkness.

"Never," Lyanna replied, her voice charged with determination. Each word was pronounced with unshakable conviction. "Not as long as I have a breath of life left. The Seal protects more than it imprisons, Blacky. Your quest will lead us all to our doom!"

Their duel raged on, each exchanged blow making the cavern walls tremble. The crystals around them reacted to the deployed magic, shining and darkening to the rhythm of their combat.

Suddenly, a new presence made itself felt. The air seemed to freeze, charged with a power that surpassed even that of Blacky and Lyanna combined. A silhouette emerged from the shadows, its aura of power making even Blacky waver.

A shadow appeared, leaving time seemingly suspended, who was hiding behind it...