The strange man watched with a cold smile, his presence weighing heavily on the room.
"You should have known," he murmured, almost lazily. "This was always going to end this way. There was no hope for you."
Emerald's grip on her sword tightened.
'Don't listen to him,' she thought, pushing back the sense of helplessness that was starting to creep in. 'I won't give up.'
Her thoughts raced as she scanned the room for any way out. The situation was spiraling out of control, and she knew they couldn't last much longer.
All she had to do was find the artifact, the same one they were using to seal her blessing.
If only she could find it and destroy it, or deactivate it, then she would easily be able to conjure a portal and escape this place.
With a sharp breath, she turned her attention back to the strange man. His confidence was unnerving, but she had to push through it.
He was the key to this fight. If they could take him down, maybe—just maybe—the rest would fall.
