TEST - LOCAL - v1 - Hero's Journey

The wind clawed at Elara's cloak, threatening to rip her from the precipice. Below, the valley stretched, a tapestry of greens and browns stitched together by the silver thread of the Whispering River. She gripped the hilt of her sword, the cold steel a familiar comfort against the tremor in her hand. He would come. She knew it. He always did. A laugh, sharp and cruel, echoed from behind. "Admiring your future kingdom, Elara? Soon, all this will be mine." She turned. Kael, tall and gaunt, stood a few feet away, his black robes swirling in the wind. His face, framed by lank, greasy hair, was pale and twisted into a sneer. His eyes, dark and hollow, held no trace of the man she once knew. "This will never be yours, Kael." He raised a hand, and a swirling vortex of dark energy crackled to life. "Such defiance. I always admired that about you." He paused, considering. "Pity it will be your undoing."