Raika knelt on the scorched earth, her right knee digging into the hot, ashen ground. The forest around her was a charred wasteland, smoke billowing up from the burning trees, casting an oppressive haze over the battlefield. Her breathing was ragged, each inhale sharp and painful as it filled her lungs with the acrid smell of smoke and singed wood. Blood trickled down her forehead, mingling with sweat, and her vision was clouded by the intense pain and exhaustion.
With a desperate, trembling grip, Raika raised her energy saber with her left hand, pointing it at the approaching entity. Her knuckles were white, the strain visible on her face. Her saber, once blazing with fierce blue light, flickered weakly, its energy waning. She felt every bruise and cut with heightened clarity, each pulse of pain a reminder of her frailty.
