The earth beneath Kael's feet trembled as the shadowy horde advanced, a relentless tide of dark creatures pressing closer to the heart of the city. Each step they took was accompanied by the faint hiss of dark energy, the crackling of their twisted forms distorting the very air. The city was barely holding on, its walls and gates battered from the earlier onslaught. But the heart of the city—the place where hope still flickered—remained intact, and Kael would be damned if he allowed that hope to be extinguished.
"We hold this ground, no matter the cost!" Kael's voice rang out, filled with iron determination. His soldiers, battered and bloodied, turned toward him, their faces marked by the horrors they had witnessed, but in their eyes, a fire still burned. They understood the stakes.
