The chamber trembled once again as the demon's voice echoed through the stone walls, causing the warriors to brace themselves. The heavy air felt oppressive, suffocating their very souls as the false God's presence surrounded them. Elara stood firm, her gaze locked onto the glowing crystal in the center of the room.
"Foolish girl," the demon's voice rang out, venomous and mocking. "You think you can change fate? You have no idea what you're dealing with."
The warriors tightened their grips on their weapons, but Elara's gaze never wavered. This was no longer just about freeing the true God; it was about proving to herself that she was more than a scared, hidden child of Light. The time had come to unleash what she had kept buried deep within herself.
"I know exactly what I'm dealing with," she replied, her voice filled with a calm determination that surprised even her. She turned to the warriors. "Stay back. This is my fight."
Kael, the fiery warrior, stepped forward, his expression hardening. "You may be the daughter of the real God of Light, but you can't face him alone. We are your warriors. You don't have to carry this burden by yourself."
But Elara shook her head. Her silver eyes sparkled with unspoken power. "I carry this burden because it's mine to bear. But thank you for believing in me."
With that, she turned back to the crystal. As her heart beat louder, Elara reached her hand toward it, feeling a strange connection. The light of the crystal flickered in response to her touch, and for a moment, it felt as though time itself had stopped.
But the demon wasn't finished yet.
"Do you think a mere child can defeat me?" His voice was now a low growl, dark and full of fury. "I am the God of Light—no, I am the one who controls fate. I will not let you destroy everything I have built."
The walls around them cracked, and from the shadows, a figure emerged—a grotesque, twisted version of what had once been the God of Light. His form shimmered between light and shadow, a grotesque mockery of divinity, his eyes burning with dark flame.
Elara didn't flinch. She stepped forward, her body trembling not with fear, but with the awakening of an ancient power deep within her. The ground beneath her feet seemed to freeze, and an icy mist began to gather around her as if the very atmosphere was bending to her will.
The warriors watched in stunned silence as Elara's body glowed with a pale, ethereal light. A strange energy pulsed in the air—the air itself seemed to freeze, the temperature plummeting. Frost formed at her fingertips, slowly creeping across the floor.
"You dare defy me?" The demon hissed, his eyes narrowing with a mixture of anger and amusement. "You have no idea what you're dealing with. The Light I offered you was the only way to save this world. Without me, it will fall into darkness."
Elara's lips curved into a fierce smile, and her voice was filled with icy conviction. "The light you offered was nothing more than a prison of lies. The real Light is the one I will free."
As her words echoed through the chamber, the frost around her swirled violently, growing into an icy vortex that cracked the stone floor beneath her. The crystal in the center of the room pulsed violently, as if it were responding to her power.
The demon let out a roar of frustration. "You think you can contain me? You are nothing but a child of ice—weak, fragile."
"Don't underestimate me," Elara whispered, her voice cold as the winds now howled around them. She raised both arms high, and in an instant, the temperature in the chamber dropped to subzero levels. Ice erupted from the ground, surrounding the demon like a prison. But even as the ice grew, the demon fought back, sending dark tendrils of shadow to shatter the frozen walls.
The warriors watched in awe as the girl they had just met wielded her power. The once-hidden ice witch was now fully revealed—a force that could freeze the very fabric of the world. But it wasn't just her ice magic that terrified the demon; it was the light that began to flicker beneath the surface. Elara was more than just an ice witch—she was the daughter of the true God of Light, and her power was both cold and blinding.
"I will not let you free the true God, Elara!" the demon snarled, his voice filled with desperation. "You are weak, and you are nothing without me."
But Elara didn't respond with words. Instead, she gathered the icy winds and condensed them into a single, jagged spear of frozen light. She aimed it directly at the demon's heart.
"This ends now," Elara said, her voice filled with the weight of ancient power.
The warriors could barely keep up with the events unfolding before them. The ground shook violently, and the chamber seemed to crack as Elara threw the ice spear toward the demon. As the spear of light made contact with the demon's chest, the world seemed to freeze in time. The demon let out a scream—a howl of agony and rage—as his form disintegrated into nothing but ash and shadow.
The temple shook violently, the crystal flickering as though it, too, was reacting to the demon's defeat. Elara's breath came in shallow gasps, and the icy winds around her gradually subsided. She collapsed to her knees, the weight of the battle crashing down on her. The warriors rushed to her side.
"You did it," Kael said, awe in his voice. "You defeated him."
But Elara shook her head, her face pale. "Not yet. This was only the first step. The real battle is just beginning."
And with those words, the warriors knew that their journey was far from over.
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End of Chapter 3
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