The air around them was thick with the smell of decay, and the oppressive hum of dark magic vibrated through the ground. Lumumba, Amara, and Jon moved cautiously, their weapons ready, as they stepped closer to the source of the corruption.
Suddenly, out of the shadows, a figure emerged—a tall, slender woman draped in tattered robes of green and brown, her skin pale as moonlight. Her eyes, once bright with the magic of the Sylvan Elves, now glowed with a dull, sickly green hue. Her presence was both majestic and terrifying, a haunting reminder of what had been lost.
This was Solann, the former guardian of the Western Kingdom's forests, now twisted by pain, vengeance, and the magic of the fissures.
"So, you've finally come," Solann's voice was soft, almost a whisper, but it carried a weight that made even the corrupted earth tremble. "I've been waiting for you. Watching."
Lumumba's hand tightened around the hilt of his saber, his eyes narrowing as he studied her. She's different, he thought. Not like the others. There was something in her presence that felt… broken.
"Well, here we are," Lumumba said, his tone casual, though his stance remained tense. "Though, I gotta say, I'm not loving the decor. You could really use some greenery."
Solann's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Greenery? Oh, I remember greenery. The trees sang, the rivers sparkled... But that was before." Her voice hardened, her glowing eyes fixed on Lumumba. "Before your kind came and took it all away."
Amara stepped forward, her voice cautious but firm. "Solann, we're here to stop this. We know you're hurting, but destroying this kingdom won't fix anything."
Solann's gaze flickered to Amara, her expression twisted with a mix of sorrow and anger. "You think I want to destroy this place? You think I want to see my people turned into these... things?" She gestured toward the remains of the corrupted elves they had fought moments earlier. "No. But this is the price of survival. Of vengeance."
"Vengeance against who?" Lumumba asked, his voice sharper now, cutting through the tension. "Against the fissures? The magic? Or is it against the people who wronged you? You think wiping out a kingdom is gonna make it all better?"
Solann's eyes blazed with fury. "Do you know what it's like to be betrayed by the very ones you swore to protect? To watch as your home, your people, are ripped apart, not by monsters, but by those you trusted?" Her voice trembled, and for a moment, Lumumba saw the fragile, broken elf beneath the rage.
"The men of this kingdom—those who promised us peace and unity—betrayed us," Solann continued, her voice filled with venom. "They took from me everything. They used our magic, our forests, our lives, for their own greed. And now, I am the one they call monster."
"Ah, I see," Lumumba said, his voice dropping slightly. "You got the classic villain origin story. Betrayed by the people you swore to protect, forced to turn to the dark side… You've probably heard this before, but that's cliché as hell."
Jon shot Lumumba a look. "Not the time, man."
But Solann didn't react to the sarcasm. Instead, her expression softened—just for a second—as if a distant memory had stirred. "You think I wanted this?" she said, her voice quieter now. "You think I asked to become this... thing? No. I was once like you, fighting for something good. But the world doesn't care about good. It takes and takes, until there's nothing left but anger and bitterness."
Amara stepped forward cautiously. "Solann, you don't have to let it end like this. We can stop this together. The fissures—they're corrupting you, feeding off your pain. If we stop the source, maybe... maybe you can be free of it."
Solann's eyes flashed with a mixture of sorrow and fury. "Free? Do you think I can ever be free? This kingdom owes me more than freedom. It owes me its life."
"So, this is about revenge," Lumumba said, his grin fading into something more serious. "You want to see this place burn because they made you suffer. I get it. But trust me, burning everything down doesn't fix what's broken inside. It just makes you more like them."
For a moment, silence hung in the air, thick and heavy. Solann's expression shifted, as if she were weighing Lumumba's words. The anger in her eyes flickered, replaced by something deeper—something more vulnerable.
"What do you know of suffering?" she whispered, her voice trembling with emotion. "You, who walk freely between worlds, who make jokes in the face of death. You, who have never been betrayed by those you loved."
Lumumba's eyes darkened, the usual levity gone from his voice. "I know more than you think," he said softly. "I've seen what happens when you let the pain take over. It consumes you. Turns you into something you don't even recognize."
Solann's lips twisted into a bitter smile. "It's too late for that. I am already lost."
Before Lumumba could respond, a deep, rumbling growl echoed from the fissure behind her. The ground trembled, and the dark vines pulsed with a sudden, violent energy.
"The Sovereign," Amara whispered, her eyes widening in realization. "He's using her. He's feeding off her pain to power the fissures."
"It's not just about her revenge," Jon added, his face pale. "She's part of his plan. He's controlling her."
Lumumba's grip tightened on his sabers as he stepped forward, his voice low but steady. "Solann, you're not the monster here. You're just another one of his victims. You can still stop this. Help us."
Solann's gaze faltered, her eyes flickering with uncertainty. For a moment, it seemed like she might break free from the darkness, from the hatred that had consumed her. But then, her face hardened, and the glowing green of her eyes flared brighter.
"No," she said coldly. "The time for help has passed. If you want to stop this, you'll have to go through me."
The ground beneath them cracked as the fissure behind Solann erupted, sending waves of dark magic spiraling into the sky. The energy surged around her, twisting and distorting her form as the vines coiled around her body like serpents.
"She's not going to back down," Amara said, her voice tense. "We have to stop her before the fissures spread any further."
Lumumba sighed, drawing his sabers with a flourish. "Alright. But for the record, I don't like killing tragic villains. Too much emotional baggage."
Solann's voice echoed through the air, filled with both sorrow and rage. "Then you will die alongside this kingdom."
The battle was swift and brutal. Solann moved with the grace of an elf, but her attacks were fueled by the raw, chaotic magic of the fissures. Dark vines lashed out at Lumumba and his team, writhing through the air like living weapons. The ground trembled with every strike, and the sky itself seemed to grow darker as the fissures pulsed with energy.
Lumumba's sabers flashed in the dim light, cutting through the vines as he dodged and weaved around Solann's attacks. Amara fought at his side, her magic crackling in the air as she cast spells to block and deflect the dark energy that surrounded them.
But Solann was powerful—far more powerful than they had anticipated. The fissures fed her strength, and with every strike, she seemed to grow more unstoppable.
"We can't keep this up forever!" Jon shouted, swinging his sword wildly as he tried to fend off the vines.
"We don't need forever," Lumumba called back, his voice strained as he dodged another strike. "Just long enough to find a weak spot."
As the battle raged on, Lumumba's mind raced. He could feel it—the same wrongness he had sensed in the Northern Kingdom. The fissures weren't just feeding off the land—they were feeding off Solann's emotions, her anger, her pain.
And that was the key.
"Amara!" Lumumba shouted, blocking an attack with his saber. "It's her emotions! The fissures are tied to her! If we break her connection to them, we can stop this!"
Amara nodded, her eyes glowing with determination. "I'll try!"
With a wave of her hand, Amara cast a powerful spell, her magic weaving through the air as it sought to disrupt the dark energy that bound Solann to the fissures. But the magic was unstable, volatile, and every time Amara got close, the fissures pulsed with more power, pushing her back.
"It's not enough!" Amara shouted, her voice filled with frustration. "She's too strong!"
Lumumba grit his teeth, his mind racing. There had to be a way. If the fissures were feeding off Solann's emotions, then they had to sever that connection. But how?
And then it hit him. Words.
Lumumba sheathed one of his sabers and stepped forward, his gaze locking onto Solann's glowing green eyes.
"Solann!" he called out, his voice cutting through the chaos. "This isn't you! You're not a monster! You're not a weapon! You were a guardian—someone who protected life, not destroyed it! Don't let him use you like this!"
For a moment, Solann hesitated. The dark magic swirling around her faltered, just for a second, as if Lumumba's words had reached something deep within her.
"You don't have to be his tool," Lumumba continued, his voice steady. "You're stronger than this. Stronger than him. Don't let the Sovereign turn you into what he wants."
Solann's expression flickered, the rage in her eyes dimming slightly. Her lips trembled, and for the briefest moment, Lumumba saw the woman she had once been—the kind, gentle guardian who had protected the forests of the Western Kingdom.
But then, the vines pulsed again, and Solann's face twisted with fury.
"It's too late," she whispered, her voice filled with anguish. "It's too late for me."
The ground beneath them trembled as the fissures surged with power, the energy spiraling out of control.
"No, it's not!" Lumumba shouted, stepping closer. "It's not too late, Solann! You can still fight this! You can still stop it!"
But Solann shook her head, her eyes filling with tears. "I'm already lost."
And with that, the fissures erupted in a blinding flash of light, and everything went dark.