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.

Elara struck first, her blade slicing through the air with deadly precision, but the man brought up his newly-formed arm to block the blow. Sparks flew as her weapon collided with the hardened claw. Using the momentum, he jumped back, pressing himself against the tunnel wall.

The man swung his clawed arm into the tunnel wall, the impact sending deep cracks splintering outward. The structure groaned in protest, shaking loose smaller rocks and dust. He didn't stop—another strike followed, then another, each hit more forceful than the last. Chunks of stone began to dislodge from the ceiling, raining down in uneven bursts.

Elara's blade flashed as she pressed the attack, weaving between the falling debris to stay on his heels. She slashed at his side, but he twisted at the last second, the jagged claw slamming into the wall again. Another tremor rippled through the tunnel, larger pieces of stone cascading to the ground.

Elara pressed forward, her blade slicing through the air as she pursued the man, but his strikes against the tunnel walls grew more desperate and violent. His clawed arm smashed into the structure again, the cracks spreading wider with every blow. The tunnel groaned, heavy chunks of stone breaking loose and crashing to the ground in a cascade of dust and rubble.

A massive slab above her dislodged with a deafening crack. Elara looked up, her eyes widening as it hurtled downward. She twisted sharply, the glow of her blade trailing behind as she threw herself out of its path. The slab smashed into the ground where she had just stood, shattering into jagged fragments that sprayed outward.

The sudden maneuver broke her momentum, forcing her to adjust her footing as the dust thickened around her. She coughed, the haze obscuring her vision, and in that brief moment of hesitation, without hesitation, he sprang forward, taking advantage of her disrupted stance.

Blood sprayed through the air as the man lunged toward Elara's vulnerable side. Just as his claw neared its mark, a blinding light flared, cutting through the chaos. Elias, standing at the edge of the fray, had cranked his flashlight to its highest lumen setting, the beam focused squarely on the man's face.

"Hey! Look down, you damn brute!" Elias shouted, his voice breaking through the tunnel's echoes.

The man snarled, jerking his head back instinctively, shielding his eyes from the piercing light. Elara, already braced for a counterattack, hesitated as her focus wavered. The sudden brightness forced her to cover her eyes, taking a step back.

A sharp click followed, and a flashbang detonated in the confined space. The blast sent waves of light and sound reverberating through the tunnel. When the blinding effect subsided, Elara rubbed her eyes and glanced around, blinking rapidly to clear her vision.

The man was gone. A trail of blood streaked across the tunnel floor, leading out through a jagged opening in the side wall. Elara's jaw tightened, frustration flickering across her face. "Dammit," she muttered under her breath, straightening her stance. She reached for her earpiece as her hand hovered over her blade. "I'm going after him."

A stern voice crackled through her earpiece. "Negative. We don't know enough about his capabilities or how he managed that transformation. Pursuing him could lead you into a trap. Secure the scene and check for casualties. Remember, those are recruits with you."

Elara exhaled heavily, clearly displeased. "Understood, sir," she replied. With a practiced motion, she resheathed her blade. The energy around it dissipated, revealing the still-hot metal that hissed faintly as it slid into the sheath at her side.