The gates of Eberdeen creaked open as James and his group returned from their harrowing journey to the Bloodridge Mountains. Exhaustion weighed heavily on them, but there was a flicker of hope. The storm that had raged for days had finally started to break, the sky showing small patches of pale sunlight filtering through the dissipating clouds.
Inside the walls of the fortress, the atmosphere was alive with activity. Soldiers moved about, reinforcing the battlements and preparing for the next phase of the battle against Valek and his forces. Yet, there was an unmistakable tension in the air, as if everyone knew this moment of calm was nothing more than a brief respite before the storm would rage again.
