A Dance of Steel and Sorrow

A vast, open field gave host to a tapestry of turmoil. The air was thick with the sounds of conflict - metal clashing against metal, and the harsh cries of soldiers. Dust and blood mingled in the air. Amid the chaos, clusters of soldiers clashed in a relentless dance of steel as the factions collided with primal ferocity.

They say time slows in moments of despair. There must be some truth to this as Kaelis watched, heart pounding, the scene unfolding before her in excruciating detail. It seemed like an eternity, each second stretching out as Soren fell to Xyris, the moment etching itself into her memory.

A numbing cold swept over Kaelis, rooting her to the spot as she watched the blood seeping through Soren's clothing. His life faded away swiftly, but what must have been a lifetime to match the hopelessness that filled Kaelis's heart. She was watching her heart die in slow motion. The field felt as though it was filled with an eerie silence, a stark contrast to the prior cacophony. The fallen bodies were scattered across the landscape, their lifeless eyes staring at the uncaring sky, matching the hopelessness that filled Kaelis's heart. Amid the devastation, Kaelis could only focus on Soren. His eyes, once vibrant and full of life, were now dull, reflecting the lifeless void she felt had fallen over her.

As the reality of Soren's death sank in, a burning rage took root in her heart alongside her profound grief. She made a silent vow that Soren's death would not go unanswered if it was the last thing she did. Those responsible would face her wrath and pay for taking the one thing she needed to truly feel alive.

Kaelis shifted her gaze up from Soren's body as she felt Xyris's gaze, piercing and shrewd, eyes gleaming with a vicious design that promised further anguish as if he had already won her and was just plotting the most sadistic manner to show his victory. It was as though he was a predator surveying its prey, posture relaxed yet poised. As if Kaelis were not a threat to be cautious against. He would barely have the time to rue the mistake of underestimating her.

Kaelis rose, her movements fluid yet filled with deadly intent. With a swift, almost ethereal grace, she lunged towards Xyris, her blade gleaming with the sun. Xyris, surprised by her sudden ferocity, barely had the time to react. The clang of steel rang out, a symphony to accompany this last act in this play for power. Each strike of Kaelis was a blend of grief and rage, a physical manifestation of her heart. As their blades met, the world around them seemed to fade. This was a fight for closure, for the right to grieve, and for vengeance.

Revenge was a bitter pill to swallow as Xyris struck true, fatally wounding Kaelis even as her blade swiftly struck his heart to match the suffering he inflicted upon hers by killing Soren. The clash with Xyris left Kaelis's senses blurring into a mosaic of pain and triumph. The world seemed to spin, a carousel of memories - laughter, love, loss - all intertwining in a timeless dance. Falling to her knees and then crawling to his body to cradle close, fingers intertwined, for her last moments Kaelis whispered in his ear as though he were still there to hear, "Wait for me. I will find you again, no matter where, no matter when. Neither the heavens nor death shall separate us." Kaelis's vision goes completely black, and she can only be grateful she'll see Soren soon.

Kaelis woke up and felt the softness of her bed beneath her, shattering her expectations of meeting Soren or succumbing to darkness. The reminder that she was still breathing hit her. Gone were the sounds of war. Slowly opening her eyes and looking around showed the soft morning light filtering through the bed canopy. Further observation showed this was the bedroom of her childhood. A room she hadn't been in for at least a decade since she left to fight by Soren's side. Looking down at her body, showed that if one was a child. It seems the gods were reluctant to leave things as they were as well. Maybe this time, Kaelis can correct the mistakes from the "past" as she has always longed for. If nothing else, she will cause Xyris more of an inconvenience before killing him unlike last time and this time she will make sure Soren and she will not lose their lives. They must properly grow old together as they promised each other.

As Kaelis lingered in thought, she was firm in her resolve to change the past and save Soren from his untimely death. This second chance was a gift, and she would not squander it on half-measures or haste. Her heart ached for the moment she would see Soren again, to warn him, to protect him, and perhaps, to love him anew with the wisdom of their tragic past guiding her actions.

She began to make plans, plotting each step with the meticulous care of a strategist, when an unexpected sound broke her concentration. It was a knock, soft yet insistent, on the door of her childhood bedroom. Kaelis froze, her heart pounding in her chest.