The Shadow Lord swung his huge sword with such force that the air trembled before him. Kael blocked the attack with his own sword, but the impact was so strong that he had to stagger a step back. The ground under them broke, and a deep crack stretched through the forest floor.
"So you're the one who protects the seer of light?" The Shadow Lord's voice was a menacing rumble as he straightened up and raised his sword in a vertical motion.
Kael gritted his teeth. "You won't get it, demon."
The Shadow Lord laughed - a deep, hollow laugh that made Elara's blood freeze in her veins.
"It's too late, guardians. Your destiny has long been sealed. You can't prevent the inevitable ruin."
Elara stood one step behind Kael, her eyes fixed on the shadow lord. Her heart was beating wildly, but she knew that she was not allowed to be afraid now.
"You have to escape, Elara!"
Kael's order was sharp, and his eyes flashed with determination. But Elara couldn't just get away from him as he struggled.
"I can help you!" She called, her hand already leading to the golden symbols on her wrist.
But Kael turned to her in a flash. "Get it, Elara! You can't win against him. Go!"
At that moment, the Shadow Lord swung again - his movements were faster than Kael could react. The sword hit him with a tremendous force and threw him back several meters.
Elara gasped in tright. Kael landed hard on the ground and slid a few meters further, but he immediately got up again, the blood dripping from a wound on his side.
"Come on, Kael!" Ellara exclaimed, her hands outstretched in front of her. A ray of light began to gather as she felt her inner strength.
The Shadow Lord walked slowly towards Kael, raising the sword menacingly. "You've been dedicated to the light for too long, Kael. This will be your downfall."
Kael knelt on the floor, his hand still tightly around the sword. But he could feel the power of the Shadow Lord - his darkness was overwhelming.
"Elara... go... now!"
But before she could react, the entire darkness of the forest poured into the body of the Shadow Lord. His presence became even more enormous as the ground around her trembled. A massive ray of shadow was thrown from his sword - right at Kael.
"NO!"
Elara couldn't help it. She ran forward without thinking. Her arms twitched forward, and the light they evoked flared up more intensely than ever. A silver beam broke through the darkness and met the Lord's shadow magic that mingled with the energy of the light. A huge bang shook the forest as the two forces collided.
Kael fought his way up again. "Elara, what are you doing?!"
"I won't let you down!" She called and sent more energy into the ray of light.
The Shadow Lord felt the sudden change and turned to Elara, his blood-red eyes flashing dangerously. "So... you're really one of the light seers."
His smile was vicious. "But you don't know how to control that power. She will destroy you as she destroyed everyone!"
"Enough!" Kael screamed and jumped forward, tightly enclosing his sword grip. With a quick movement he pushed the sword into the darkness of the Shadow Lord. But it was rejected by an invisible barrier.
"You're weak, Kael," said the Shadow Lord with a mocking grin. "Your time is over."
Elara felt her strength slowly begin to wane. Her breathing was faster, and she could hardly hold the weight of the light in her hands. "I... can't..."
But then she heard Kael's voice, deep and determined.
"Elara. I told you not to interfere. But now it's too late to withdraw. You are the last hope for everyone... you are more than just a healer. You are the heiress of the light. Use it!"
At that moment, as the darkness around her became almost suffocating, Elara felt a burning force inside her. She had never really used all her power, never really understood what she had in her. But Kael's words permeated her resistance.
"I can do that."
With a loud scream, she concentrated and sent all the energy she felt within herself into a single, powerful explosion of light.
The light she released was brighter and stronger than anything she could have ever imagined. It broke through the darkness of the forest, tore the Shadow Lord out of its barrier and wrapped him in a glaring, dazzling ray.
The Shadow Lord roared in pain as he was thrown back, and the forest around her was shaken.
Elara, exhausted, fell to the ground. Her eyes were cloudy, but she felt that they had won.
"You did it," whispered Kael, kneeling next to her, his gaze admiring but worried. "You have defeated the Shadow Lord."
She breathed heavily and nodded, but her thoughts swirled.
"What now?"
Kael slowly stood up, helped her up and looked into the dark night.
"This is just the beginning. If we want to survive, we must find the source of this darkness... and destroy it."
"And how do we do that?" Elara asked, her voice weak.
"This is a long story," Kael replied, "and we must hurry."
And so they began their long and dangerous journey – together, against the darkness.