The fight between Miria and Vareck made the entire Valley of Ashes tremble.
Miria was clearly leading. Every movement was precise, every spell calculated. She dodged Vareck's magical claws with a fluid step, countered with bursts of pure energy that tore the ground and projected shards of calcified rock. Vareck roared, launched black waves, tried to overwhelm her with brute force… but Miria was everywhere at once. A reverse kick sent him flying against a dead tree. A compression spell crushed him to the ground. A blade of pure energy sliced the air a few centimeters from his throat.
"You're weakening, Vareck," she said in a calm, almost cold voice.
Vareck got up spitting blood, eyes bloodshot with hatred. He threw himself at her once more. Miria raised a hand. An invisible barrier stopped him cold, then projected him backward with such violence that the ground cracked under the impact.
She gave him no respite. She appeared above him, both hands glowing with a golden and purple light. Chains of pure energy shot from her palms and wrapped around Vareck's wrists, ankles and neck, pinning him to the ground. He struggled like a trapped animal, but the chains didn't yield.
Miria knelt beside him. A blade of pure light formed in her right hand. She raised it slowly, ready to finish it.
Then a voice resonated in her head. Soft. Firm. Ancient.
*Don't pay attention to his words…*
*You can kill him if the opportunity presents itself… but also try to reason with him… Just once…*
*Don't kill him out of vengeance… Kill him to restore peace…*
Miria's hand trembled. The blade of light wavered.
That fraction of a second of hesitation was fatal.
Vareck, sensing the pressure of the chains lessen, released a desperate explosion of black energy. The chains broke. He straightened up in one leap and struck Miria full in the chest with a concentrated magical blow. She was projected like a rag doll through several calcified trees, which broke under the impact. She crashed heavily to the ground, spitting blood.
Vareck got up with difficulty, short of breath, his body bruised. He approached her, a black aura swirling around his fists.
"Listen to me carefully, Miria… I'll spare your life. But on one condition. Tell me where Léana's body is… and give me the grimoire."
Miria, still on her knees, raised her head. A provocative smile appeared on her bloodied lips.
"Mission impossible."
Vareck's rage exploded. He launched an attack of pure violence. Miria was projected again, passing through other trees before crashing further away, her body aching. She spat more blood, tried to get up… then stopped.
Her eyes had settled on something. A half-erased path, almost invisible under the debris and blackened vegetation. An indecipherable expression passed over her face.
From then on she contented herself with defending. Dodges. Shields. Minimal counterattacks. She was gradually backing up, forcing Vareck to follow her. Each step brought her closer to a precise place. Vareck, too focused on his hatred, didn't notice.
They arrived in front of an entrance almost completely blocked by enormous blocks of stone. Miria was still looking for a way to open it when a powerful attack struck her in the back. The impact was so violent that the stones themselves rolled away, freeing a passage. Miria was projected inside the cave and crashed to the ground in a cloud of dust.
A shadow advanced. Vareck entered the cave… and stopped dead. His expression changed. Something about this place deeply troubled him.