The soldiers stood frozen in place, their gazes fixed on the spot where Lyerin had vanished into the oppressive shadows that swallowed him whole.
The golden light that had once filled the square now faded completely, leaving only the flickering embers of extinguished torches and the faint glow of the ritual glyphs etched into the ground.
A heavy silence blanketed the area, oppressive and suffocating, as though the very air had thickened with unspoken questions and unresolved fears.
Each soldier felt the weight of what had just occurred pressing down on them, the gravity of their situation becoming clearer with each passing second.
They glanced at one another with wide, bewildered eyes, their faces pale and slick with sweat.
