The air hung heavy and thick, a miasma of ozone and something else… something ancient and unsettling. The celestial gardens, usually a riot of iridescent blooms and shimmering waterfalls, were eerily silent. A hush had fallen, a palpable sense of dread that clung to the air like morning mist. Even the usually vibrant flora seemed to droop under the weight of it. This wasn't the serene paradise Eliana had come to know; this was a scene of unspeakable violation.
"What in the heavens...?" Eliana whispered, her voice barely audible above the pounding of her heart.
Sebastian, her stoic Demon God husband, placed a hand on her shoulder, his touch grounding her. "This is not a place for the faint of heart, my love," he said, his voice low and gravelly.
They moved cautiously through the devastated gardens, their footsteps echoing in the unnatural silence. The closer they got to the center of the destruction, the more the air crackled with an otherworldly energy.
