chapter 46

The acrid stench of smoldering debris hung heavy in the air, a suffocating miasma that clung to

the back of my throat like a noxious fog. As I surveyed the devastation that had been wrought

upon our sanctuary, a profound sense of weariness settled upon my shoulders, weighing me

down with the burden of all we had endured.

Shattered remnants of furniture lay strewn about the once-pristine parlor, their once-elegant

forms reduced to little more than kindling in the wake of the battle's fury. Scorch marks marred

the walls, grim reminders of the arcane forces that had been unleashed within these hallowed

halls, while pools of viscous ichor stained the floorboards, testament to the grotesque nature of

our assailants.

Lilliana moved beside me, her delicate features etched with a grim determination that belied the

fragility of her form. Her eyes swept over the wreckage, a muscle twitching in her jaw as she

took in the full extent of the devastation.