Turning point (4!)

"Six minutes left," I muttered after taking yet another glance at the frame of the gate where soon enough, a solution to the war would appear. 

And if I were to give Makary and his men any credit, it was likely to be a final solution. A solution so great, not even powers of Madam or Etaria's level could question. 

But what exactly would happen after those six minutes? 

The only way to find out was to simply wait. 

"I'm leaving my men to watch over this place, just in case," Makary announced, approaching the gate after giving some final orders to his unit. "And hopefully, we will get this over with quick."

I turned my eyes away from the portal and looked up at the man's serious face. 

Now that the time we'd been waiting for was just a few minutes away, the tension continued to grow not only in the air but also in everyone's eyes. 

For better or for worse, the bet that I forced the survival of the forest folk on was about to be unveiled.