They began the journey home at dawn.
The army moved slowly, weighed down by the wounded and the exhausted. Those who could walk did so with heavy steps, their bodies aching from the battle, their hearts heavy with the cost. Those who could not were carried on stretchers made of branches and blankets, their faces pale, their eyes closed. The victory at Lilith's stronghold felt distant now, overshadowed by the uncertainty of what came next.
Lilith walked at the center of the army, surrounded by wary guards but no longer bound. Her hands were free. Her feet were unshackled. But the guards watched her every movement, their hands never straying far from their weapons. She did not complain. She did not test them. She simply walked, her eyes fixed on the ground, her mother's hand clasped in her
