"Then our greatest enemy will burn. And through his ashes, we will walk again."
A silence fell once more between them, but it was not empty. The Reach listened.
Above, the world turned. Unaware. Unprepared.
Below, two Archdemons watched the ember of war flicker into life. Not with rage. Not with hope.
But with certainty. This was how world's ended. Without drums. Just whispers.
---
It was late in thevafternoon.
The sun glinted off the brass fixtures in the inner courtyard of House Elarin, turning the stone flagstones golden.
In a private pavilion draped with ivory silks, Velrosa Lionarde sat at a low table strewn with ledgers and parchment scrolls.
Across from her leaned Blackrat, fingers steepled, eyes narrowed in satisfaction.
"I knew they'd fold quickly," Velrosa began, voice steady, "but not this quickly."
