Shadows Crescent

The stillness that followed the battle was more unsettling than the chaos itself. Adira stood amidst the carnage, her blade slick with ichor that dripped into the scorched earth. Around her, the survivors shifted uneasily, their faces pale and haunted in the flickering torchlight. For a moment, no one spoke. Even the wind seemed to hold its breath.

But Adira knew better than to trust the silence. This was no reprieve; it was the calm before the next storm.

Kael approached, his sword resting against his shoulder, his face grim. "We've bought ourselves time, but that's all. They'll regroup."

"They always do," Adira replied, wiping her blade clean with a piece of cloth that felt gritty against her fingertips. She sheathed it and turned toward the barn where Rhea was tending to the wounded. "How's everyone holding up?"