The great hall of Elderglow, a neutral citadel carved into the mountains between Solaris and Lunari territories, thrummed with tension. Torches cast flickering shadows on the stone walls, illuminating the grim faces of leaders from both races. The air was thick with the scent of iron and wax, and the weight of an unprecedented crisis. Kael stood at the edge of the Solaris delegation, his crimson armor polished but his scowl as sharp as his blade. Across the hall, Liora lingered among the Lunari, her silver hair braided tightly, her eyes scanning the room with calculated precision.
Whispers of the Void Plague had spread like wildfire in recent weeks. Entire villages, Solaris and Lunari alike, had been reduced to ash and ruin, their inhabitants consumed by a creeping darkness that left no trace. The plague didn't discriminate, and neither did the fear it sowed. Kael's fists clenched as he recalled the reports: fields blackened, skies choked with unnatural mist, and survivors speaking of shadows that moved with purpose. Liora, too, felt a chill at the memory of her own scouting mission, where she'd seen a Lunari outpost reduced to a graveyard of twisted, lifeless forms.
The summit had been called by the Elderglow Council, a rare neutral body that mediated disputes between the races. High Mediator Varyn, an ancient figure cloaked in gray, raised a hand for silence. "The Void Plague threatens all life," he declared, his voice echoing. "If Solaris and Lunari do not unite, both will fall."
Kael snorted, drawing eyes. "Unite? With them?" He jerked his chin toward the Lunari side, where Liora stood. Her gaze snapped to his, cold and cutting. "The Lunari would sooner stab us in the back than fight beside us."
Liora stepped forward, her voice like a blade slicing through the murmurs. "And the Solaris would burn the world down before admitting they need us. Your arrogance will doom us all, Kael."
The hall erupted in shouts, accusations flying between the delegations. Kael's hand twitched toward his sword, and Liora's fingers grazed her daggers, their mutual loathing a spark threatening to ignite the room. Mediator Varyn slammed his staff against the stone floor, the sound silencing the chaos. "Enough!" he roared. "You bicker like children while the world crumbles. The Void Plague is no mere enemy—it is annihilation. You will work together, or there will be nothing left to fight for."
The leaders conferred in hushed tones, their faces grim. Kael and Liora stood rigid, glaring at each other across the divide. Finally, Varyn spoke again. "Kael of Solaris and Liora of Lunari, you are the best of your people—warrior and strategist, strength and cunning. You will lead a joint task force to find the plague's source and destroy it. Refuse, and your races' blood will be on your hands."
Kael's jaw tightened, his pride warring with the images of devastated Solaris villages. "I'll do it," he growled, "but I won't trust her." He pointed at Liora, his eyes blazing.
Liora's lips curled into a bitter smile. "Trust? I'd rather sleep with a viper. But I'll lead this mission, and I'll do it better than you ever could."
The hall fell silent, the weight of their agreement settling like dust. As the delegations dispersed, Kael and Liora lingered, their gazes locked in a storm of defiance. Outside, the sky darkened, a sickly haze spreading across the horizon. They caught a glimpse of it through the hall's great windows—a writhing, inky blackness that pulsed like a living thing. For a moment, their hatred faltered, replaced by a shared dread. The Void Plague was real, and it was coming for them all.
As they parted ways to prepare, Kael muttered under his breath, "This alliance will be the death of me." Liora, overhearing, shot back, "Good. Maybe then I'll get some peace." But as she turned away, her hand lingered on her dagger, and a flicker of unease stirred in her chest. This mission would force them together, and neither was ready for what that might unearth.