The arena shook as Laxin's chains hammered down, their sparks flaring like dying stars before wrapping tight around Vex's ribcage. The undead monster jerked against the bindings, furnace-light guttering, its skeletal frame grinding under the weight of defiance.
Aria's flames surged with him, vines wrapped in emerald fire lashing across the battlefield, each strike tearing apart the illusions Vex tried to raise. The whispers came sharper, crueler, more insidious—You'll never be enough. You'll always betray. Every step you take leads to ruin.
Her body shook, but she clenched her fists until blood welled from her palms, forcing her mind to focus on pain that was real, not the lies trying to choke her.
"No more running," she spat, her voice a broken snarl, "If I burn, I burn fighting!"
