The echo of the demon's defeat still hung in the air as Elara collapsed to her knees, her chest rising and falling with labored breaths. The icy winds that had whipped through the temple slowly faded, leaving behind an eerie silence. Her warriors stood around her, their eyes filled with awe, but there was no time to rest. They could feel it—the weight of what lay ahead.
Kael, ever the fiery one, stepped forward, kneeling beside Elara. His concern was palpable, but his tone remained firm. "You did it, Elara. You defeated him. But at what cost?"
Elara looked up at him, her silver eyes reflecting the flickering light of the crystal. She could feel the power still surging within her, but it felt... unstable. The coldness of her ice magic was familiar, comforting even, but the light that had burned within her—her true birthright—felt distant, like a flickering flame in the wind.
"I'm not sure," she whispered, her voice strained. "I didn't expect it to take so much from me. My power... it's not fully awakened yet. It's still dormant, buried deep."
Rivena, the strategist of the group, stepped forward, his sharp eyes narrowing as he took in the situation. "The crystal... it's weakening. The demon may be gone, but his influence is still here. We can't stay in this temple much longer."
Elara's head snapped up at his words. The crystal, once glowing faintly, now flickered weakly in the center of the chamber. The air around it seemed to warp, and a subtle, dark energy lingered in the cracks of the stone. She could feel it, the remnants of the demon's hold over the temple, reaching for her, trying to reclaim control.
"We have to move," she said, pushing herself to her feet, though her legs felt shaky. "We need to leave now, before the temple collapses."
Thorne, the assassin with a watchful eye, glanced around the room, his hands never far from his blades. "It's already too late," he murmured, his voice low and grim. "The demon's influence is still here. It will not let us go that easily."
Suddenly, the ground trembled beneath them, and the temperature dropped again, as if the very earth itself was reacting to the presence of the demon's lingering power.
"Everyone, get out!" Elara shouted, her voice filled with urgency. "Now!"
Without hesitation, the warriors began to move, running towards the entrance. But as they approached, the temple seemed to close in on them. The walls shifted, the paths they had walked through now blocked by slabs of stone that fell from the ceiling. The way out had become a maze of crumbling rock, and the air was thick with an oppressive force.
"We're trapped!" Bram, the giant warrior, roared, his massive frame easily clearing the debris that fell in their path. But even his strength was no match for the darkness creeping through the temple.
Nyra, the blind oracle, raised her head slightly, her sightless eyes focused as if she were listening to something beyond the walls. "It's not the temple that's trapping us," she whispered, her voice eerily calm. "It's the demon's last curse. We need to break it, or we will be buried here."
Elara's heart pounded in her chest. The curse. Of course. The demon had been powerful enough to curse this place, to leave behind a lingering web of darkness that would trap them forever if they didn't find a way out.
She raised her hands, summoning the last remnants of her icy power. "We'll break it," she said, her voice steady despite the fear gnawing at her. "I'll break it. Stand back."
Kael grabbed her arm, his eyes searching her face. "You're not strong enough, Elara. You need rest."
"I don't have the luxury of rest," she replied, determination settling in her gaze. "We need to escape before this place consumes us."
With that, Elara's eyes glowed bright, her hands extended toward the walls of stone that surrounded them. The air grew colder with each passing second, and frost began to form on the stones, creeping along the cracks that had formed in the walls. She could feel the power inside her—untamed, uncertain—but it was enough. The demon's curse would be broken.
The walls trembled as she pushed harder, her body shaking with the strain. The ice spread like wildfire, filling the entire chamber, encasing the walls in a glistening layer of frost. It was like fighting against a tidal wave of dark magic, but Elara pushed forward, unwilling to stop.
"Just a little longer," she whispered, her breath coming out in clouds. Her warriors stood at the ready, watching her with a mix of concern and admiration.
With a final, sharp thrust, Elara released the last of her energy, sending a burst of pure ice through the temple. The stone walls cracked as if they had been struck by lightning, and the air filled with a loud, echoing sound.
Then, silence.
The demon's curse had been lifted.
The walls of the temple began to crumble, but the path to the outside was clear. The warriors scrambled to escape, their feet pounding against the stone floor as they ran toward the exit. Elara led the way, her breath ragged but determined.
As they burst through the entrance, the temple collapsed behind them in a cloud of dust and debris. The warriors staggered into the open air, gasping for breath as they looked back at the ruins.
"We're alive," Kael said, a grin spreading across his face. "And we've broken the curse."
Elara stood a little apart from them, her gaze distant as she watched the remnants of the temple fall into the earth. The battle wasn't over. They had defeated the demon's physical form, but the true fight—the fight for the Light—had only just begun.
"We've won a battle," she said softly, her voice carrying the weight of something greater. "But the war... the war is far from over."
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End of Chapter 4
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