The golden sands condensed into a fiery sphere above the Lady of Fates, a vortex of chaos swirling with a terrible, deafening roar. The air thickened, oppressive and stifling, pressing down on Ryuto and his companions with a weight that sapped their strength. The Lady's fractured form, ethereal and jagged, radiated an aura of malevolent power that made the very ground beneath them tremble.
"You insignificant mortals," she hissed, her voice a discordant harmony that grated on their ears. "You think you can disrupt my design? You will learn the price of defying fate."
The courtyard cracked beneath her feet, dark fissures spreading outward like veins. Shadows spilled from the cracks, creeping across the stone like living things. A cold, unnatural wind howled through the air, carrying with it the faint, mournful cries of unseen souls.
