The shadowed figures moved with deliberate menace, their steps thunderous and their forms shrouded in impenetrable darkness. They seemed to drink the light from the battlefield, leaving an oppressive void in their wake.
The princess stood frozen, her sword gripped tightly in her hand. She had faced countless foes in her short years of battle, but nothing like this. Even the ground beneath her felt wrong, pulsating faintly as if recoiling from the creatures' presence.
"Hold your line!" she shouted, her voice rising above the chaos. But her soldiers were already faltering, their formations breaking as fear overtook them.
Eldric came to her side, his shield raised. "What are these things?" he demanded, his voice strained.
She shook her head, her eyes fixed on the advancing shadows. "Not of this world."
---
Queen Selene, too, found herself gripped by unease. Her soldiers, once so disciplined, wavered against the advancing darkness. She turned to her generals, her tone sharp and unrelenting.
"Pull the flanks inward! If they scatter, we're finished!"
"But, my queen, the creatures—"
"Do as I command!" Selene snapped, her voice cutting through the panic.
The general hesitated for only a moment before shouting orders to the troops. Selene's hand tightened on the hilt of her sword as her gaze swept the battlefield. She wasn't accustomed to feeling powerless, but these things defied even her formidable resolve.
---
The child stepped forward, the crescent mark on their palm radiating light that seemed to push against the encroaching shadows. For a moment, the creatures slowed, their forms flickering as though uncertain.
"Why are they here?" the princess called to the child.
"They are drawn to imbalance," the child replied, their voice calm yet tinged with sadness. "To the hatred and fear that fuels your war."
"Then they come for all of us," Selene said, her tone colder than the storm around them. She approached the temple, her eyes fixed on the child. "If you claim to understand this, then tell me—how do we stop them?"
The child turned to her, their glowing eyes meeting hers. "You cannot fight them alone. None of you can."
Selene's lips pressed into a thin line. "Then what do you propose? Surrender?"
"No," the child said simply. "Unity."
---
The seeker, still hidden within the temple's shadows, watched the exchange with growing tension. She knew the child's words were true—these creatures could only be confronted if the warring factions set aside their differences.
But convincing warriors entrenched in hatred to fight together was a near-impossible task.
"You ask for peace in the middle of war," the seeker muttered under her breath. "Fate has cruel timing."
The child, as if hearing her unspoken thought, glanced back briefly. Their expression was calm, but the weight of the moment was clear in their glowing eyes.
---
The first clash came like a thunderclap. One of the shadowed figures lunged forward, its massive arm sweeping through a line of soldiers as though they were leaves in the wind. Screams filled the air as men and women were thrown aside, their weapons useless against the creatures' intangible forms.
Eldric raised his shield as another shadow loomed over him. The creature's blow struck with unimaginable force, sending him skidding backward, his shield dented and his arm numb.
"They're too strong!" he shouted.
The princess ran to his side, her sword flashing as she tried to strike at the creature. The blade passed through its form harmlessly, the shadow reforming almost instantly.
"Fall back!" she ordered, her voice laced with desperation.
---
Selene's forces fared no better. The queen herself stepped into the fray, her blade glowing faintly with an enchantment meant for dark foes. Yet even her strikes seemed to do little more than slow the creatures.
"This is madness," one of her generals said, retreating to her side.
"No," Selene said through gritted teeth. "This is fate testing us. And I do not fail tests."
---
Amid the chaos, the child stood firm, their light intensifying with each passing moment. The shadows recoiled slightly, their forms flickering and unstable under the glow.
The princess turned to the child, her voice a mix of frustration and urgency. "What do we do?"
"You must unite," the child repeated. "Or you will all fall."
The princess glanced toward Selene, who was already looking back at her. The air between them crackled with tension, years of enmity and mistrust threatening to drown any hope of cooperation.
"Do you trust her?" Eldric asked quietly.
"No," the princess admitted. "But I trust what I see in front of me."
She sheathed her sword and stepped forward, raising her voice. "Queen Selene! You wanted to see the truth—here it is! If we don't work together, there won't be anything left to rule!"
Selene hesitated, her gaze hard and unreadable. Then, with a flick of her hand, she called her soldiers to halt.
"Do not think this changes anything," Selene said coldly, stepping forward to meet the princess. "But for now, we have a greater enemy."
The princess nodded, her expression equally grim. "Then let's finish this."
---
As the two armies began to merge their efforts, the child's light grew brighter, pushing back the shadows inch by inch. But the battle was far from over, and the unity between the factions remained fragile.
From his unseen vantage, He watched the uneasy alliance form, the threads of destiny weaving into something unexpected. For now, the outcome was uncertain, and uncertainty was rare in the stories He had witnessed.
Would this fleeting cooperation hold? Or would their mistrust doom them all?
Time, as always, would tell.