"Pitiful creatures of light," the being rumbled, its voice reverberating through Elara's very bones with a force that threatened to overwhelm her. "You dare stand against the inevitable tide of darkness?"

Elara tightened her grip on her sword, her jaw set in a defiant line as she met the creature's burning gaze. "We will never surrender to the likes of you," she spat, her words laced with a ferocity that bordered on recklessness.

The creature let out a booming laugh, a sound that chilled Elara to her very core. "Foolish child," it mocked, its twisted features contorting into a grotesque facsimile of a smile. "Your light is but a fleeting...