As the intense light that had erupted from Lysara faded, an uneasy silence fell over the cave. The shadowy figure, once so imposing, now lay in ruins, its form scattered and dissolving into the darkness. Kalmaran, still catching his breath, couldn’t believe what had just happened. His chest heaved with the effort of both the battle and trying to comprehend the raw power Lysara had just unleashed.

"Did you see that?" Valen muttered, almost too stunned to form the words. He exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Velora, who looked just as shaken.

Velora, usually so composed, was at a loss for words. "Lysara," she finally whispered, her voice laced with disbelief. "What… what just happened?"

Lysara, trembling and staring at her hands as if they belonged to someone else, could barely speak. "I don’t know," she stammered. "I didn’t mean to… I don’t even know how…"

Kalmaran slowly approached her, trying to steady himself. He had faced countless enemies, from soldiers to sorcerers, but he had never witnessed anything like this. Who is this girl? he thought. What kind of power is inside her?

Before anyone could say more, the ground began to tremble beneath their feet. Loose rocks tumbled from the cave ceiling, and the walls quaked violently as if the mountain itself was responding to the dark magic that still lingered in the air. A cold, hissing laugh echoed around them, sending chills down their spines. The dark figure, though shattered, had not been defeated.

"You think this is over?" came the figure’s eerie voice. "The crystal… the girl… they belong to me. You cannot escape your fate."

Valen cursed under his breath. "We’ve got to get out of here. Now."

Velora didn’t need to be told twice. "The whole mountain is coming down! If we don’t move, we’ll be buried alive."

Kalmaran, still reeling, grabbed Lysara by the arm and pulled her along as they bolted for the cave’s entrance. The rumbling intensified, and the shadows seemed to claw at them, trying to drag them back into the collapsing abyss.

Just as they emerged into the open air, the scene before them made their hearts sink. The mist that had once hidden the valley was now gone, revealing an army of Wraiths hovering at the valley’s edge—dozens of them, their red eyes glowing with hunger and malice. And at the center of it all stood the dark figure, more imposing than ever, his form now fully revealed. He loomed like a specter of death, his skeletal frame wrapped in tattered robes of shadow.

Kalmaran’s grip on Lysara tightened. This was no longer just about survival—it was about something much bigger.

The figure’s voice was filled with venom as he spoke. "You’ve been running from me for far too long, Kalmaran. But this is where it ends."

Valen stepped forward, sword drawn and ready to fight, but Kalmaran stopped him. "No. We can’t fight him—not like this. Not here."

"Then what do we do?" Valen snapped, his frustration rising. "We’re trapped, Kalmaran. There’s nowhere to run."

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Kalmaran glanced at Lysara. The light that had saved them in the cave was now gone, and she looked as lost and terrified as any young girl might. But he knew, deep down, that she was more than just a frightened child. There was something ancient and powerful stirring inside her.

"We have to figure out what’s happening to her," Velora said, her voice tense but focused. "She’s tied to this somehow. To the prophecy. To the crystal. We need to know why."

The dark figure raised his staff, and the earth beneath them cracked, sending a wave of dark energy surging toward them. Kalmaran threw himself in front of Lysara, bracing for the inevitable blow, but just as the wave was about to hit, the crystal in his satchel flared to life.

A brilliant shield of light erupted around them, deflecting the dark energy and sending it back toward their enemy. The Wraiths howled in pain as the light touched them, their shadowy forms disintegrating on contact.

Kalmaran could hardly believe it. The crystal… it was protecting them. But why?

The dark figure snarled, fury burning in his glowing red eyes. "You cannot keep it from me forever, Kalmaran. The power of the crystal will be mine."

Kalmaran felt the weight of the crystal pulsing in his satchel, resonating with something deep inside Lysara. He didn’t fully understand it, but he knew there was a connection between the girl and the ancient artifact—a connection that could either save them or doom them all.

The figure’s staff glowed brighter, and the very air around them seemed to thicken with dark magic. Kalmaran could feel the ground shifting beneath him, the earth trembling as though it were about to swallow them whole.

Just when all seemed lost, Lysara stepped forward, her hands glowing once again with that strange light. "No," she said, her voice trembling but filled with resolve. "You won’t take it. Not while I’m here."

The dark figure sneered. "You? A child? What can you do against me?"

But Lysara didn’t back down. The light in her hands grew brighter, pulsing with a force that Kalmaran could feel even from where he stood. "I don’t know what this power is," she said, her voice gaining strength. "But I won’t let you hurt anyone else."

Without warning, Lysara unleashed another burst of light—brighter and more powerful than before. The valley lit up like the midday sun, and the Wraiths shrieked in agony as the light consumed them. The dark figure, caught in the full force of the blast, stumbled back, his staff cracking under the pressure.

For a moment, everything was still. Then, with a deafening crash, the mountain behind them began to crumble. Huge rocks fell from the cliffs, and the earth beneath them buckled and shook violently.

Kalmaran grabbed Lysara, pulling her to safety as the ground collapsed beneath the dark figure. His scream of fury echoed through the valley as he was buried beneath the rubble. The Wraiths, without their master, faded into the mist, their haunting cries vanishing into the wind.

When the dust settled, Kalmaran stared at the ruins of the mountain in stunned silence. It was over. At least, for now.

Lysara collapsed to the ground, exhausted and spent. Kalmaran knelt beside her, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "You saved us," he whispered.

Velora, however, was less optimistic. She shook her head, her expression grim. "This isn’t over," she said quietly. "That was just the beginning."

Kalmaran’s heart sank. He had known it wouldn’t be that simple. The dark figure was powerful, but he was only a part of something much larger—a force that had been gathering for centuries, waiting for the right moment to strike.

"We need to move," Valen said, his voice tense. "There’s more to this than we know. And I don’t think we’ve seen the last of him."

Kalmaran helped Lysara to her feet, his mind racing with the weight of what had just happened. The path ahead was unclear, but one thing was certain: they had only scratched the surface of the danger that awaited them.

As they began their journey once more, Kalmaran couldn’t shake the feeling that something far worse was waiting for them just beyond the horizon.

To be continued in Chapter 4...

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