The skies above Verauno churned with dark clouds, heavy and foreboding. The air was thick with the acrid scent of smoke and blood, a grim reminder of the battle raging on the city’s outskirts.
The rebels were relentless, their forces pressing closer with every passing hour. Our soldiers fought valiantly, but the cracks in our defenses were beginning to show.
I stood at the edge of the battlefield, my heart pounding as I took in the chaos before me. The rebels moved like a tide, surging forward with a ferocity that threatened to drown everything in its path. And at the center of it all was Verauno—a city teetering on the brink of collapse.
“Aria!” Asher’s voice cut through the din, sharp and commanding. “We need to fall back to the second line. Now!”
I turned to him, my breath hitching
