The forest was silent now.
Silent in a way that stirred unease, as if the trees themselves were ashamed to speak of what had happened—afraid to whisper of the blood that had stained their roots, or the corpses left unburied.
---
At the Sect's Outskirts – Before Dawn
They returned.
Or rather… what was left of them.
Only three remained… out of forty-two.
Their steps were slow, heavy, arms limp, faces shattered. Even the sky, at that moment, wore a dull hue, as if mourning in silence.
At the front walked the heir.
His face was pale, his hand wrapped in filthy cloth, his eyes drowning in a whirlpool of shock and rage. He spoke not a word, didn't look back. Every step he took felt like a nail being hammered into his chest.
He stopped at the sect's gate. The guards on duty didn't know what to say.
– "M-My lord… is it…?" – "Open the gate," the heir said in a dead voice.
The doors creaked open slowly, as if lamenting a lost honor.
---
The Assembly Hall – Mid-Morning
