Following Jarza's sharp whistle, two riders broke away from the ranks and galloped forward into the open field, banners streaming behind them. Each man held his head high, but one rode with an extra burden: the banner of House Herculia, a rich crimson flag emblazoned with a silver lion.
As they reached the middle of the field, the rider with the banner lifted it high into the sky, letting it unfurl proudly one last time. With a quick, defiant flick, he threw it onto the ground, the flag fluttering down like a fallen predator. The second rider, holding a burning torch, approached the fallen banner and cast the flame onto it, igniting the fabric instantly. Flames licked up the edges, blackening the lion as it began to curl and shrivel.
