Ashvale awoke to whispers of hope. Grain filled hungry mouths. Steel armed the weak. For the first time in years, the slums breathed freely, their eyes lifted toward the dawn instead of the dirt.
But hope never goes unanswered.
At sunset, the first flames rose.
---
Kael stood on the edge of the temple ruins, staring at the horizon. Columns of smoke spiraled into the sky, thick and black. His chest tightened.
Mira burst into the courtyard, face pale. “The Dominion struck back. Villages on the outskirts—they burned them.”
The words landed like thunder.
Joren cursed, slamming his fist into the stone wall. “I told you! Every move we make, they’ll answer with blood. It’s not war to them—it’s a lesson.”
Kael’s fists sparked unconsciously. “They s*******r innocents just to send a message?
