30 Into the Shadow Realm II
The desolate landscape erupted into chaos. Leor, a demonic whirlwind of fire and fury, slammed into the first wave of shadow beasts. Azarath, a shimmering wraith weaving through the darkness, unleashed blasts of shadow magic that disintegrated the creatures in their path. But more came, millions, seemingly endless shadows birthed from the very essence of the Shadow Realm.
Shania, ignoring the cacophony of the battle, sprinted towards the Devourer. Tendrils of dark energy lashed out, wrapping around her ankles, trying to impede her progress. She fought them off with blasts of celestial energy, the light scorching the shadows but failing to sever the connection to Tenebris.
Panic rose in her chest. They were being overrun. Leor and Azarath, despite their valiant efforts, were losing ground. Soldiers were dying. Every shadow beast they destroyed was replaced by two more.
Across the chaotic scene, Tenebris cackled, his voice a chilling chorus that echoed across the desolate landscape. He raised a hand, and the Devourer pulsed with a sickly green light. An unnatural portal, a swirling vortex of shadow and stolen celestial energy, ripped open behind him.
"Foolish guardians!" he roared. "You cannot stop the inevitable!"
With a final, maniacal laugh, Tenebris stepped through the portal, the Devourer pulsating beside him. The portal snapped shut, leaving Shania and the Guardians alone in the desolate wasteland.
Exhaustion and despair threatened to overwhelm Shania. They had failed. The Devourer, the very essence of destruction, was now in Xal'dar's grasp again. The power to reshape reality itself was now within his reach.
"No," Leor growled, his voice raw with frustration. "There has to be something we can do."
Leor, his human form flickering faintly, materialized beside Shania. "We need to fall back," he said, his voice grim. "We need to warn the others, prepare for Xal'dar's arrival or devise a plan to attack under better circumstances."
Shania, refusing to give in to despair. "We will fight," she declared, her voice ringing with newfound resolve. "We will find a way to counter Xal'dar, even with the Devourer in his possession. We will protect the balance, no matter the cost."
With heavy hearts, the Guardians of the font turned away from the desolate landscape, their steps heavy with the weight of their failure. They had lost the battle, but the war was far from over. They had to get back, to warn the armies as well as the realms, to rally their defenses against the coming storm. The fate of all realms now hung in the balance. They would fight for every breath, every inch of ground, for as long as they had the strength to stand.
