Selene and Lucian stood at the center of the storm, their powers raging around them as the mind-controlled warriors of the Emberlands and the Winter Court surged forward like an unstoppable tide.
They had fought battles before.
But never like this.
Never against their own people.
Lucian's fire roared to life, his sword blazing with golden flames as he deflected a spear strike from an Emberlands soldier. The man's face was blank—devoid of emotion, of hesitation. A puppet.
Selene clenched her fists, sending a wave of frost that froze another warrior's blade mid-swing, shattering it into shards of ice.
"We can't kill them," she shouted, dodging an arrow that whizzed past her head.
Lucian's jaw tightened. "I know."
These weren't enemies.
These were their kin, their people, fighting against them under Elaris's control.
Selene turned her gaze toward the figure looming on the hilltop, cloaked in unnatural darkness. Elaris stood with arms crossed, watching them with amusement, as if this was nothing more than a game.
He's enjoying this.
Fury ignited in her veins.
"We have to break his hold," she told Lucian, blocking an incoming sword strike with a shield of ice. "If we stop him, we free them."
Lucian cut down another attack, flames flickering dangerously in his eyes. "Then we go through them."
Selene nodded, her heart pounding. They had to push forward—had to reach Elaris before he forced them to do the unthinkable.
Before they were forced to kill those they loved.
The Fight to Reach Elaris
The battlefield was chaos.
Warriors attacked with ruthless precision, their movements eerily synchronized, moving like a single mind instead of individuals. Elaris's influence was absolute.
Selene weaved through them, her frost magic spreading beneath her feet, forming an icy path as she sprinted toward the hill. Lucian was right beside her, his fire cutting through the mist, pushing back the waves of warriors trying to stop them.
A knight from the Winter Court lunged at her, his ice spear aimed at her heart. Selene sidestepped and grabbed his arm, sending a pulse of magic through him. Ice crackled over his armor, trapping him in a cocoon of frost—but she was careful.
She wasn't killing. Only stopping.
Lucian spun, his sword a blur of molten light as he deflected three blades at once. His movements were precise, his flames barely scorching his attackers, only disarming them.
They had trained for war, but never for this.
Never for a battle where every enemy was someone they were meant to protect.
Elaris's laughter echoed above them. "Touching. Truly."
Selene grit her teeth, her breath coming in sharp gasps as she and Lucian finally reached the base of the hill.
He was right there.
One strike. One well-placed spell. That was all it would take.
But as they took a step forward, a new sound cut through the chaos.
A sharp, piercing whistle.
The warriors around them froze in place. Their weapons lowered, their bodies rigid as if turned to stone.
Selene's pulse pounded. "What is he doing?"
Elaris smiled. "You see, I admire your restraint. Your nobility. Your desire to save rather than destroy."
Lucian took a step forward, his sword raised. "Get to the point."
Elaris's eyes gleamed. "Very well."
With a slow, deliberate motion, he raised one hand—and snapped his fingers.
A scream rang out from behind them.
Selene whipped around, her heart lurching.
The warriors of the Emberlands and the Winter Court had turned—but not toward them.
They had turned on each other.
"No," she whispered, ice crackling around her hands.
The soldiers, still under Elaris's spell, had begun to fight—not as two opposing armies, but as one chaotic storm of blades and magic, attacking indiscriminately.
Lucian cursed. "He's making them kill each other."
Selene's breath came fast. This was worse than anything she had imagined.
If they didn't stop this now, there would be nothing left to save.
Facing Elaris
Selene turned back to Elaris, her blood boiling.
"Enough," she said, her voice shaking with fury. "End this."
Elaris raised an eyebrow. "Or what?"
Lucian didn't wait for an answer.
He attacked.
Flames erupted from his blade, streaking toward Elaris like a shooting star. The blast hit—but instead of consuming him, the fire bent around him, swirling like a controlled current before dissipating into smoke.
Elaris hadn't moved.
Selene's heart pounded. "How—"
Elaris sighed. "You still don't understand, do you?"
He lifted a single hand, and the entire battlefield trembled.
Selene gasped as the air around them warped.
The frost beneath her feet melted. Lucian's flames flickered and vanished.
Magic itself was shifting.
Elaris smirked. "I don't just control minds."
His eyes locked onto them, glowing with eerie amusement.
"I control fate."
Selene's breath caught. "That's not possible."
Elaris tilted his head. "Oh, but it is. And I think it's time you learned what happens to those who defy the balance."
The shadows around him thickened.
Lucian grabbed Selene's hand, his voice urgent. "Brace yourself."
The world around them shattered.
For a brief, terrifying moment, Selene felt as if they had been ripped from reality itself. The battlefield, the warriors, the frozen and burning ground—all of it dissolved into nothingness.
Then, in an instant, it all came rushing back.
But something was wrong.
The battlefield was empty.
The soldiers were gone.
Selene and Lucian stood alone on a vast, endless plain of white mist, stretching into infinity.
Elaris stood before them, smiling.
"Welcome," he said, his voice echoing through the void. "To the place between worlds."
Selene's heart thundered.
"What is this?"
Elaris spread his arms. "The truth."
Lucian's grip on his sword tightened. "Enough riddles."
Elaris smirked. "Very well. Let's put it simply."
He took a step forward, the mist swirling around him.
"You two were never meant to exist together. Fire and Ice. Love and War. Two forces that, when combined, disrupt the natural order."
He raised a hand, and images flickered in the mist—visions of the Emberlands burning, the Winter Court frozen in time.
"This war, this chaos—it was always inevitable."
Selene shook her head. "No."
Elaris smiled. "You refuse to accept it, but deep down, you know the truth."
He turned to Lucian, his gaze piercing.
"The only way to restore balance…" His voice was softer now, almost sympathetic.
"…is for one of you to die."
Silence fell.
Selene's breath caught in her throat.
Lucian's grip on her hand tightened.
Elaris smiled, his voice a whisper.
"So tell me… who will it be?"