The Reckoning

The dawn had broken, but it brought with it not just light, but also the weight of what was to come. The battlefield was still, save for the low murmur of voices as soldiers tended to the wounded and prepared the fallen for their final rest. In the midst of this somber atmosphere, Xypheron and Vexaria moved silently, each lost in their own thoughts, each carrying the burden of leadership on their shoulders.

Their victory had been hard-earned, but it was not the end. Far from it. The echoes of war still hung in the air, and there were forces that moved in the shadows, biding their time. Xypheron knew that the true reckoning was yet to come.

As they reached the center of the camp, Vexaria stopped, her eyes scanning the horizon. The quiet that had settled in the wake of the battle was deceptive; beneath it, a storm was brewing.

"You're thinking of the next move," she said, her voice low but steady. "Aren't you?"

Xypheron didn't need to answer. The tension in his posture, the set of his jaw, told her