Outside, a figure watched from atop the roof of a neighboring building, his presence hidden by a spell of cloaking. The "Master," as he was known to his followers, surveyed the scene with a pleased, almost wicked satisfaction. His gaze took in the gate, the entranced crowds, and the creature within as his expression twisted into a smile laced with malice.
With the first steps of the war unfolding before him, he allowed himself a brief chuckle, the sound low and sinister. "To think this world would bear the brunt of such power so easily. And yet, he continues to meddle and grow stronger…" The Master's eyes flickered with impatience and a deep-seated hatred. "But no matter. Even his strength will pale in the face of what I have planned."
In an instant, he vanished, his form dissolving into a blood-red mist that seeped back into the shadows as if it had never been. The echo of his dark intent lingered in the air, a whisper of his ominous plans to come.
