The Heart Of A Doctor

By the time Lara and Aramis returned to Meander Pass, the once crystal-clear waters of the Agwe River had turned a deep, sinister red, streaked with the lifeblood of fallen Estalis soldiers.

Bodies, some lifeless, others barely clinging to life, drifted downstream, their armor clanking against the rocks as the current carried them away. The air reeked of iron and death, thick with the cries of the wounded and the eerie silence of those who would never rise again.

Lara exhaled slowly, her chest heavy. War always exacted its price, paid in the countless lives lost on both sides. Even the enemy, men who had raised their swords against her people, were still someone's son, someone's father, husband, or brother. Somewhere, families would grieve—not for faceless warriors, but for loved ones who would never return home.