The battle had subsided. The palace courtyard still vibrated faintly with the lingering magic of the clash, and beside Seras's corpse, the cloak that once bore the glory of the Council crumbled slowly into black dust.
Elara was still panting. Dareth stood beside her, sword drenched in blood, the blade's tip clinking softly against the stone as he slowly lowered it.
And then... came the first tremor.
Barely noticeable-like a sigh beneath the stone. The ground quivered almost imperceptibly. At first, Elara only sensed that a different kind of silence was settling over the square. Not peace. But tension. A silence brought by something approaching.
Then-
BOOM.
An explosion tore through the eastern wall. One of the bastions shattered into pieces, and thick black smoke billowed from the br
