Clash in the Storm

The barrier of water shattered, sending droplets cascading through the air like shards of glass. Emma barely had time to react before the Nightborn surged forward, their blades glinting under the storm's fury.

Rahi was already moving.

His dagger flashed in the dark, intercepting the first assassin's strike. Metal clashed, sparks flying as he twisted, using the momentum to drive his knee into the attacker's ribs. The assassin crumpled, but another took his place, unnervingly silent as they attacked.

Emma's breath came fast. She gripped the Sapphire Stone, willing the storm to answer. The wind howled, and the ground beneath them grew slick with water, but the Nightborn didn't falter.

One of them lunged for her.

Emma barely dodged, stumbling back. The assassin's dagger sliced through the air, grazing her arm. A burning sensation bloomed across her skin, and she gasped.

Poisoned.

Her mind spun. She needed to act—now.

She reached for the water, shaping it with her will. The ocean responded, a surge of twisting tendrils rising from the ground.

With a thrust of her hand, she unleashed a wave.

The Nightborn staggered, momentarily pushed back, but Emma's vision blurred. The wound on her arm throbbed, the poison working fast.

"Emma!"

Rahi's voice cut through the chaos.

She turned just in time to see another assassin charging at her from the side.

Too fast.

Too late.

The blade came down—

And then, it stopped.

A sudden shockwave rippled through the battlefield, sending the Nightborn flying back. Emma stumbled, gasping as a figure dropped between her and the assassins.

A man, clad in black armor, a crimson cloak billowing in the wind.

His golden eyes burned beneath the hood of his cloak.

Emma's blood turned to ice.

The Eclipse King.

____________________________________________________

The Eclipse King Arrives

Rahi froze, his dagger still raised, his expression dark. "No. Not now."

Emma's breath hitched as the Eclipse King turned toward her, his presence suffocating. The air around him crackled with raw power, the Onyx Stone around his neck pulsing like a heartbeat.

His lips curled into a slow smile.

"I see you've grown stronger, little one," he mused, his voice rich and cold. "The stones have accepted you."

Emma forced herself to stand, ignoring the way her arm burned. "I won't let you take them."

The Eclipse King chuckled. "Take them?" He stepped forward, his presence pressing against her like a tidal wave. "No, my dear. You misunderstand."

His golden eyes locked onto hers.

"You're going to bring them to me."

A pulse of shadow erupted from his form, the storm roaring to life around them.

The world exploded into chaos.