Ashes of Resolve

The violet glow seeping from the cracked earth pulsed faintly, a heartbeat of malice that lingered after the Sovereign's whisper—"You cannot hide, child. I am coming."—faded into the wind. The clearing stood silent, the air heavy with the scent of blood, gunpowder, and the acrid tang of magic. Vincent's security team fanned out, their rifles trained on the rift's dimming scar in the sky, but their tense postures betrayed their unease—no training could prepare them for the horrors they'd just witnessed. The winged beasts were gone, Seraphine's retreat leaving a fragile calm, but the Sovereign's promise hung over them like a guillotine's blade.