The kiss was a violation, a searing intrusion that sent a wave of corrupted energy through Isla's veins. Elara's light within her recoiled, a flickering flame against a suffocating darkness. Isla gasped, her body trembling, her mind reeling.
The serpentine woman's influence, a venomous whisper, sought to twist her resolve, to turn her against her own light.
Kai, his face a mask of horror and fury, attacked, his sword a blur of motion. The serpentine woman, her attention momentarily diverted, released Isla, her eyes flashing with predatory amusement. She met Kai's attack with a swift, serpentine strike, her obsidian nails tearing through his defenses.
Isla, reeling from the corrupted kiss, struggled to regain control.
The darkness within her pulsed, a seductive whisper urging her to embrace its power. She looked at Kai, his face contorted in pain, and a surge of defiant anger ignited within her. She would not succumb. She would not be broken.
Drawing on the last vestiges of her strength, she focused on the amulet, its warmth a faint beacon in the encroaching darkness. She called upon Elara, her voice a desperate plea. The amulet responded, its light flaring, pushing back the shadows that threatened to consume her. The light, though fractured, was not extinguished.