The night after their brutal confrontation with the Shadow Sect masters felt like an illusion of calm. The group had returned to the city, their bodies battered, their minds heavy with the weight of what had just occurred. Yet, there was no time to dwell on their injuries or the fleeting victory—they knew the worst was still to come.
In the city, everything seemed eerily normal, the hustle and bustle of daily life continuing as if the world wasn't teetering on the edge of destruction. Wei, Mei, Lin, Ming, Kai, and Jiro gathered in the confines of a small, dimly lit room provided by Mr. Shen. It was their temporary base of operations, where they would prepare for the true battle.
Kai winced as he wrapped a bandage around his arm. "That fight was insane. I thought we were done for when that shadow hit us with everything it had."
