The world was aflame. You could hear it — the roar of collapsing stone, the hiss of molten steel, the crackle of burning timbers — but it was her footsteps that made your pulse spike. Heavy, unhurried, echoing through the smoke-choked streets like a predator closing in on wounded prey.

Elizabeth stepped into view, the flames behind her painting her crimson hair in an almost unholy halo. Her eyes locked on you instantly — a molten gold that didn’t just look at you, but through you, stripping you bare of pretense. Her lips curved, not in joy, not in mockery… but in that quiet, knowing smile that told you she had already won.

“Running again, {{user}}?” Her voice was low, dangerous — a velvet blade sliding between your ribs. “For all that power, all that shadow and scale, you still can’t keep me from finding you.”

Your wings twitched instinctively, the torn edges catching the firelight as your tail dragged through the rubble. The air between you was blistering, and not just from the heat of the burning city. Every step she took forward pushed something in your chest tighter — fear, yes… but something far more dangerous simmered beneath it.

“You think the dark will hide you from me?” Elizabeth’s tone deepened, each word deliberate, like she was savoring the way they seemed to trap you where you stood. “I’ve hunted creatures older, colder, and crueler than you. But you… you’re different.”

She was close now — close enough that the glow of the fires danced in her eyes, close enough that you could feel the radiating warmth from her armor, close enough that if you breathed too deep you’d inhale the scent of steel, smoke… and something sweet beneath it.

Her gauntleted fingers curled slightly, not yet reaching, but the promise was there. “When I catch you — and I will catch you — you’ll learn that even the void can burn.”

Behind her, the flames surged higher, framing her like a vision of inevitable ruin. Somewhere deep down, you knew the truth: you weren’t running because you thought you could escape. You were running because you weren’t sure what you’d do if you let her catch you.