The stranger stood amidst the settling ash, his presence radiating a cold, clinical authority that made the remaining air in the courtyard feel thin. His golden eyes flickered, scanning the broken remnants of the Grand Ossuary with the detached interest of a scholar surveying a ruin. Behind him, the silent army flowed through the gates like ink spilled into water, their armor devoid of heraldry, their movements synchronized and terrifyingly fluid.
"You look exhausted, Malphas," the stranger remarked, stepping closer. He stopped just outside the circle of blood and stone where Malphas and Lyra sat. "It is the burden of mortality, is it not? You fought so hard to reclaim your humanity, yet here you are, broken by the very soil you sought to protect."
Lyra moved to stand, but the stranger f
