The night was too quiet.Lyla moved through the trees, the Bloodmarked following in silence. The ruins were behind them, but the feeling that weight pressing against her ribs had not faded.Something was still out there.Something that had survived.Eli walked beside her, his voice low. “We’re being watched.”Jorah’s golden eyes flickered. “I know. I can feel it.”Dani’s fingers brushed her daggers. “Then let’s make them regret it.”Caelum exhaled. “The Elders are dead, but their shadow lingers.”Lyla already knew.The whispers in the wind weren’t just ghosts of the past.They were warnings.She stopped, inhaling deeply.A scent.Faint. Old. But still there.Her silver eyes sharpened."They didn’t all die in the fire."The Bloodmarked tensed."Someone is waiting for us."The torches burned low.The wind carried the echoes of something just out of reach.And Lyla Blackwood stepped into the dark.Because whatever was left?She was going to find it.And this time she would make sure it d
The ruins were behind them, but the weight of what Lyla had done still clung to the air.The Elders were gone.Their rule erased.But power did not disappear.It waited.Eli walked beside her, his voice measured. "We burned their empire, but that doesn’t mean we burned their influence."Jorah’s expression was grim. "Some will still follow their teachings. Some will still believe in their order."Dani scoffed. "Then we make sure they don’t have the chance to rebuild."Caelum’s silver gaze flickered. "The past doesn’t let go so easily, Lyla."She knew that.She could feel it in the wind, in the shifting energy around them.The Elders were dead.But something of them remained.A shadow that had not been burned away.Lyla stopped, inhaling slowly."Then we find whatever is left."The Bloodmarked listened."And we finish what we started."The wind carried her words into the unknown.Because this was not just about what they had destroyed.It was about what still needed to fall.And Lyla Bl
The embers had faded, but the fire Lyla had lit would never go out.The Elders were gone.Their rule, their control nothing but dust on the wind.But the world would not stay empty for long.Power did not die.It waited.Eli stood beside her, watching the Bloodmarked gather. "They’ll expect a leader."Jorah nodded. "The packs will want answers."Dani smirked. "They’re not gonna like what they hear."Caelum studied Lyla carefully. "Are you ready for what comes next?"She already knew what came next."We don’t give them a new ruler."The Bloodmarked listened."We give them something better."The wind stirred, carrying her words across the battlefield."A world without masters."The warriors bowed their heads.The torches burned low.And the new world one without kings, without thrones, without chains began.The wind howled through the ruins, carrying the last traces of the Elders’ rule into the past.The Bloodmarked stood waiting.For a command.For a future.For her.Eli’s voice was lo
The ruins were still.The Elders were gone, their empire reduced to ash and memory.But Lyla knew that victory came with a cost.And that cost had yet to be paid.Eli stood beside her, his blade still in hand. “This isn’t over.”Jorah surveyed the battlefield, golden eyes sharp. “The Elders ruled through fear. But fear doesn’t die with them.”Dani exhaled, rolling her shoulders. “No, but we sure as hell gave it something to be afraid of.”Caelum remained silent, his silver gaze locked on Lyla. Waiting. Watching.Because this was where most conquerors stumbled.Not on the battlefield.But in the moments after.Lyla had taken power.And now, she had to decide what to do with it.The Bloodmarked waited.For her next move.For her next command.For the future she had fought to create.She lifted her chin, her voice steady."We didn’t fight to take their place."A hush fell over the warriors."We fought to make sure no one ever does."The wind stirred, carrying her words beyond the ruins.
The ruins still smoldered.The Elders were gone, their stronghold reduced to rubble, their rule shattered beyond repair.But the world did not know it yet.And Lyla?She would make sure they did.The Bloodmarked stood behind her, their silver eyes reflecting the first hints of dawn.Eli watched the horizon, his expression unreadable. “Word will spread soon.”Jorah exhaled. “Some will call this justice. Others will call it treason.”Dani scoffed. “Let them call it whatever they want. It doesn’t change the fact that we won.”Caelum remained silent, his gaze fixed on Lyla. Waiting.Because this was her moment.The Elders had fallen.But their shadow still stretched long.There would be others who sought to rebuild their power.Others who would challenge what she had done.And if she hesitated now if she faltered someone else would step forward to claim the throne she had just destroyed.Lyla lifted her chin."We move before they do."The Bloodmarked warriors straightened."We don’t just
The fortress shattered.Magic clashed, slamming into stone and sky, shaking the very foundation of the Elders’ rule.Lyla moved first, silver energy erupting from her hands, cutting through the spells meant to destroy her.She was beyond them.Beyond their control. Beyond their reach.The Elders had ruled for centuries.But now, they were afraid.Caelum fought at her side, his power twisting through the battlefield like living moonlight.Dani danced between shadows, her daggers striking like lightning.Jorah held the line, his golden eyes flashing as his blade cut through the chaos.Eli fought with precision, his strikes sharp, fast, lethal.But Lyla?She was the storm.One of the Elders raised his hands, summoning a barrier of ancient magic, thick as steel.Lyla laughed.And tore it apart.The Elder’s eyes widened.For the first time in centuries, they were losing.Eli’s voice rang out over the battle. "Take them down before they regroup!"Lyla lifted her hand, silver fire crackling