----
The remnants of Zerathos's chilling laughter still echoed in Dabi's mind as he and Loira walked away from the prison cells.
The old halls had reverberated with the grim knowledge of the Ancient Ones' return, but now, outside, the city's battered streets told the story of a battle fought and nearly lost. Celestia, a proud and shining city of golden spires, half of the city lay in ruins.
Rubble and twisted metal, remnants of broken homes, were strewn across the streets.
The smoke of recently extinguished fires lingered in the air, filling their lungs with the taste of burnt ash.
The citizens, broken yet resilient, sifted through the debris, their faces hollow with exhaustion. Though the Voidlords had been repelled, the damage was done.
Despite the toll the battle had taken, there was a sense of movement in the air. Life, though scarred, was returning.
