Rain poured relentlessly from the slate-gray sky, the deluge turning the rocky terrain into a slick battlefield. Lightning forked overhead, briefly illuminating the scene where Violet, Mira, and Brendan faced the monstrous venien. The beast was a writhing mass of dark energy and jagged claws, its crimson eyes gleaming with malevolence as it lunged.

Violet stood firm, her silver hair plastered to her face by the rain, golden eyes blazing. Her fingers crackled with electricity, the storm answering her call as she hurled a bolt of lightning directly at the creature’s flank. It recoiled with a guttural roar, smoke rising from its scorched hide.

Mira kept to the side, her fists clenched as frustration warred with caution. She couldn’t risk conjuring a force field without the nearby wards, lest the effort drain her completely. Brendan fought alongside Violet, his movements precise, every strike of his blade aimed to weaken the venien’s relentless assault. He dodged a swipe from its claws, his dark hair dripping with rain, muscles taut with exertion.

Above them, Xaden stood on a jagged outcropping, his imposing figure silhouetted against the tempest. His navy-blue dragon hovered behind him, wings slicing through the rain like daggers. Xaden’s piercing gaze locked onto the viscount, who watched the battle from the shadows with an unsettling calm. Lightning reflected in his black eyes, his dark armor gleaming like oil as he raised a hand, his presence somehow colder than the storm itself.

“Keep it distracted!” Violet shouted, her voice nearly lost in the wind as she unleashed another lightning strike, the energy illuminating the battlefield. Brendan nodded, charging forward again while Mira scanned the area, desperate for a plan to tip the odds in their favor.

The venien howled, the sound echoing through the storm as the battle raged on.