Echoes of Sacrifice

The sunlight was warm, almost startling after the cold, oppressive atmosphere of the underground chamber. Anastasia stepped into the open air beside Maximilian, her hand firmly in his, but the brightness did little to chase away the shadows clinging to their minds. Moretti was dead, but the cryptic warning he'd left behind echoed with every breath they took.

"You think we’ve won, but you have no idea what’s waiting for you outside these walls," Moretti had said, his smile twisted with dark certainty. It haunted Maximilian now, sinking its claws into him as they stood at the brink of what should have been victory.

Maximilian’s grip on her tightened, his gaze distant as they walked through the city streets. "I can’t shake what he said... about the city. Do you think he was just trying to get in our heads one last time?"