The castle was unusually quiet. The kind of silence that wasn't peaceful but foreboding, like the calm before a storm. Kade sat in the war chamber, staring at the shattered remnants of the orb Rynor had brought back from the ruins. The dark fragments pulsed faintly, as though the magic within them was still alive, still trying to piece itself together.
"Why does everything I touch have to scream 'cursed artifact'?"
Kade muttered, leaning back in his chair.
Vask, standing at his usual place near the wall, gave him a pointed look.
'My lord, this isn't something to joke about. The orb's destruction may have weakened Verath, but it has also opened a new, unknown threat. We cannot afford to let our guard down.'
Kade waved a hand dismissively, though his unease was evident.
'Yeah, yeah, I get it. New mysterious bad guy, ancient magic, probably wants to destroy the world — or me specifically. Nothing we haven't dealt with before.'
