The sound of shifting rubble filled the air, the crumbling debris rolling like gravel in the eerie silence that followed the chaos. From beneath a mound of shattered stone, a hand punched through the wreckage, sending jagged pieces flying.
Slowly, Count Nicalo emerged, dusting himself off as a dark, corrupted aura swirled around him. His crimson, predatory eyes glowed with barely contained fury, cutting through the dim light with an unnatural intensity.
"What in all that is considered unholy, happened ?" he growled, his voice a guttural snarl as he surveyed the destruction around him. His gaze swept across the hall, falling on the Knights of Flame standing in a protective formation around the Archon. Their crimson shields shimmered like embers, forming an impenetrable barrier as three figures in white cloaks and jagged blue masks loomed at the center of the scene.
