"Aeloria, stop!" Liora shouted, her voice breaking. "This isn't the answer! We can figure something else out!"
But Aeloria didn't listen. Her body trembled as the overwhelming mana coursed through her, tearing at her very being. Veins of light spread across her skin, glowing like molten gold, as if she were a vessel on the verge of shattering.
"I don't care what happens to me," Aeloria said, her voice eerily calm amidst the chaos. "Victory for the Kingdom of Stars is all that matters." If she lose here . . . if I fail . . . my brother and I will pay the price."
Her words sent a chill through the team. Trisha and the others exchanged frantic glances, their panic rising.
"Aeloria, please! Don't do this!" Trisha said.
"Victory at any cost," Aeloria whispered, her eyes glowing with an unearthly light. "That is the way of the Kingdom of Stars."