Lady Aria death

The retreat was a chaotic scramble—Thornvale warriors breaking formation, abandoning their positions, fleeing toward the dense tree line. Blood-soaked earth churned beneath desperate boots as Elena's forces withdrew into the waiting darkness of their homeland forest.

Elysia watched, sword still dripping with enemy blood, as Elena's massive form disappeared among the trees. Something about the Earthborn Queen's posture—the lack of panic, the controlled withdrawal—sent ice through her veins. Just before the forest swallowed her, Elena turned, and across the battlefield, their eyes met.

She smiled.

'This isn't right,' Elysia thought, the hairs on her neck rising. 'She's not running. She's leading.'

But the momentum of victory swept through Moonlight's ranks. Warriors raised blood-streaked weapons, cries of triumph piercing the night air. The enemy was breaking, retreating to the shadows like wounded animals. The battle was won.

"Press forward!" Sorrel shouted, her water-crafted spear gleaming in the moonlight. "Don't let them regroup!"

Lyra's cavalry regrouped, horses snorting plumes of steam into the cool night. "We have them on the run," she called, her war axe balanced casually across her armored shoulders. "Let's finish this tonight."

Only Lady Aria hesitated, silver hair whipping in wind of her own creation. "The forest is their domain," she warned, eyes narrowed. "We should secure the field and advance at dawn."

Elysia felt the weight of command heavy upon her shoulders. Caution whispered one path, momentum demanded another.

"The child won't wait for dawn," she decided. "And neither will we. Form up and advance—but stay tight. This isn't over."

Moonlight's forces surged forward, a tide of silver and blue flowing after the retreating enemy. The forest loomed before them, ancient trees stretching skyward like massive sentinels. As the first warriors crossed beneath the canopy, the moonlight that had blessed their advance was swallowed by thick, impenetrable foliage.

And then the trap was sprung.

The first scream tore through the night—a soldier from Moonlight's vanguard vanished as the ground beneath him collapsed into a pit lined with jagged stakes. More pits opened across the forest floor in rapid succession, swallowing soldiers whole or impaling them on cruelly sharpened wood. Chaos erupted as Moonlight's ranks faltered.

"Stay in formation," Elysia commanded, her voice tight. "Water-wielders to the flanks. Wind-dancers, clear the—"

Thornvale's warriors emerged from hidden tunnels and tree cover like predators closing in for the kill. Their weapons gleamed in the moonlight as they struck with brutal efficiency, cutting down disoriented Moonlight soldiers before they could regroup. The forest itself seemed alive—roots lashed out like whips, stone barriers rose to block escape routes, and shifting pathways led soldiers deeper into confusion.

Elysia parried a blow from a Thornvale warrior who lunged at her from behind a tree. She spun and drove her blade through her chest with a savage twist before pulling it free. Another attacker charged at her—a tall elf wielding twin axes carved from obsidian—but Elysia ducked under her swing and slashed upward, severing both arms at the elbow in one clean motion. Blood sprayed across Elysia's face as the woman collapsed to her knees, screaming.

'Damn it,' Elysia thought bitterly as she wiped blood from her cheek with her sleeve. 'We walked right into this.'

Nearby, Sorrel fought with grim determination, her spear flashing in deadly arcs as she tried to rally their faltering troops. She thrust her weapon through a Thornvale soldier's throat before ripping it free and spinning to impale another attacker in the chest. But even she was struggling against Thornvale's relentless assault.

Deeper in the forest, Lady Aria moved like a phantom through the chaos. Her silver hair glinted in the moonlight as she danced between enemies, wind swirling around her like an invisible shield. A Thornvale warrior lunged at her with a jagged stone blade, but Aria twisted gracefully aside and drove her sword into her ribs.

'They think they can trap me here,' she thought coldly as another soldier charged at her from behind. The air shifted at her command, hurling him into a nearby tree with bone-shattering force.

But then Maria appeared.

The Thornvale commander stepped out of the shadows like a wraith, her dark armor blending seamlessly with the forest gloom. Her sword gleamed faintly in one hand; in the other, she held an orb of shimmering light—a conjured illusion that flickered and danced like fireflies.

"Lady Aria," Maria said softly, tilting her head as if appraising an old friend. "You've caused us quite a bit of trouble tonight."

Aria raised her sword defensively but said nothing. She could feel the subtle pull of Maria's magic—the whispers at the edge of her mind that sought to confuse and deceive.

'I won't fall for your tricks,' Aria thought fiercely.

Maria smiled faintly and tossed the illusion into the air. It burst apart like fireworks, scattering glowing fragments that hovered around them like stars. For a moment, Aria hesitated—just long enough for Maria to strike.

The Thornvale commander moved with blinding speed, closing the distance between them in an instant. Aria barely managed to parry Maria's first strike; their blades clashed with a sharp ring that echoed through the trees. But Maria was relentless. She pressed forward with a flurry of attacks that forced Aria onto the defensive.

Wind howled around them as Aria tried to regain control of the fight. She summoned a gust that sent Maria stumbling back—but it was an illusion. The real Maria appeared behind her and drove her blade deep into Aria's side.

Aria gasped as pain lanced through her body. She swung wildly at Maria but missed as the other woman stepped gracefully out of reach.

"You fought well," Maria said quietly as Aria fell to one knee, blood pooling beneath her feet. "But this is where it ends."

With a final strike, Maria's sword pierced Aria's heart.

Lyra saw Aria fall from across the battlefield and let out a roar of rage that shook even those closest to her. Her war axe gleamed in one hand as she spurred her horse forward toward Maria.

"Maria!" Lyra bellowed as she charged through Thornvale soldiers who scrambled to get out of her way—or died trying.

Maria turned just in time to see Lyra bearing down on her like an avenging storm. She sidestepped Lyra's initial swing—an overhead blow that split the ground where Maria had been standing moments before—but Lyra was unrelenting.

"You'll pay for what you've done!" Lyra snarled as she swung again and again, each strike coming closer to hitting its mark.

Maria parried one blow but staggered under its sheer force; Lyra's strength was monstrous even by warrior standards. Blood dripped from Maria's lip where one of Lyra's strikes had grazed her cheekplate earlier—but still she smiled faintly through it all.

"You think brute force will save you?" Maria taunted breathlessly between parries before slipping behind Lyra once more—but this time Lyra anticipated it—and spun mid-swing catching Maria square across torso sending flying few meters crashing hard against tree trunk gasping sharply clutching side ribs cracked .

Lyra advanced slowly now breathing heavily axe raised high ready deliver killing blow .