Chapter 20: Elara’s Edge
Elias blinked, about to protest, but stopped himself. There wasn't much else he could do in his state. He watched as the dust finally began to settle, Elara planted her boots firmly, her weight balanced as she raised the glowing blade in front of her.
"Sit back and see how far you have to go," she said, her voice steady, a hint of determination in her tone.
Elias's gaze shifted to her weapon as she raised it. Blue energy wrapped tightly around the blade's edges, rotating at high speed and creating a faint glow that partially illuminated her face. Without hesitation, Elara dashed forward.
Elias watched as Elara spoke into her earpiece, her tone steady as she relayed the information he had given her. She gestured to the four soldiers who had arrived with her. "Secure the scene," she commanded. "I'll handle this person—or whatever it is."
As the soldiers moved into position, Elara's feet shimmered with a faint blue aura. She advanced, her speed increasing as the glow around her blade intensified. The man across from her gripped his severed arm, blood dripping onto the ground as burn marks streaked his sides. His breathing was labored, but his gaze remained sharp and focused.
"She has a shard as well," he muttered, his voice laced with frustration. "How did I not notice another one so close?"
A quiet, almost exasperated voice whispered in his head. "She must have been far away and closed the distance before you could sense her. That's the only explanation. But now... now what are we going to do?"
The man growled, clenching his jaw. "We're going to kill them both and take their shards! Then the world will finally break free from these chains!"
"YOU CAN'T!" the voice snapped sharply in his mind. "We don't have enough time to maintain this transformation! If you push any further, you'll pass out!"
Elara was now just ten feet away, her blade angled forward. The hum of the energy around it grew louder as she locked her focus on him. Over her earpiece, a commanding voice cut through the tension. "Eliminate this target and bring the body back in."
"Right," Elara muttered under her breath, tilting her blade slightly so its edge glinted toward the man. "Exactly as I expected."
The man roared, slamming both his remaining hand and the stump of his severed arm into the ground. "BREAK THE CAGE!" Blood sprayed outward, splattering the ground as his clothes began to ripple and shift. The jagged plates reassembled themselves over his body, and the stump twisted into a brutal, claw-like appendage, sharp and jagged.