The Crimson Eclipse deepened overhead, casting everything in an unholy scarlet hue. Even midday light felt dim and oppressive, as though the sky bled into the world below. The land itself seemed to recoil: crops withered at the edges, water in small ponds turned stagnant, and the usual chorus of birds fell silent, replaced by tense wolf howls echoing in the distance.
Within Stormborn territory, the defenses that once symbolized unity now bristled with nervous energy. Scattered rogue incursions had already forced hasty skirmishes near the outer watchtowers; battered warriors dragged themselves back behind the gates, bearing harrowing tales of half-shifted assailants whose raw fury matched the eclipse’s building power.
Layla stood on a central balcony of the fortress, surveying the courtya
