Chapter 17: Battle in the Thornvale Forest
Lyra advanced slowly, her massive war axe held high, ready to deliver the killing blow. Maria sprawled against the tree trunk, clutching her side where ribs had cracked from the impact.
"For Aria," Lyra growled, muscles coiling for the final strike.
Maria's eyes flashed. Just as Lyra's axe began its deadly arc, the fallen commander's form shimmered and dissolved into mist. The axe bit deep into the tree trunk with a dull thunk.
"Illusions within illusions," Maria's voice echoed from everywhere and nowhere. "You fight like a child playing with toys."
Lyra roared in frustration, wrenching her axe free. The forest around her warped and shifted—trees multiplying, ground undulating. A dozen Marias encircled her, each identical, each bearing the same mocking smile.
"Which one is real, Lyra?" they taunted in unison. "Or are any of us?"
Lyra's response was as practical as it was devastating. She slammed her fist into the earth, channeling the water from deep below. The ground erupted in a geyser of crushing force, water spiraling outward in lethal waves. Illusions shattered like glass under the onslaught—all but one Maria, who leapt skyward with inhuman agility.
"Found you," Lyra snarled, directing the water upward in a massive fist.
Maria twisted mid-air, her blade catching moonlight as she sliced through the watery construct. She landed in a low crouch, drawing a second dagger from her belt.
"Better," she conceded, "but still lacking."
They clashed again with terrifying intensity. Lyra's axe became a blur of moonlit silver, cleaving through air where Maria had been heartbeats before. The Thornvale commander danced between strikes, her smaller blades seeking the gaps in Lyra's armor. Blood flowed from a dozen minor cuts across Lyra's arms and legs, but none had found vital points.