Empire of Light before the War (3)

In the dense forest behind the royal castle of the Empire of Light, chaos reigned as smoke curled through the charred air and flames flickered menacingly. Once vibrant trees now lay blackened, reduced to brittle skeletons of ash, while the acrid stench of burning wood permeated the air like a suffocating blanket. 

Amidst the devastation, a lone figure stood—her silhouette both haunting and striking against the backdrop of smoldering embers. Courtney, once just a beautiful girl, had grown into something more, something otherworldly. Her long chestnut hair, tied neatly behind her, framed her face, though the fire's glow caught the strands, making them shimmer like molten gold. Her deep brown eyes, once warm and inviting, now held a distant, hardened look. The passage of time and the weight of grief had carved a new persona into her delicate features—one of coldness.