The return to the encampment was marked by exhaustion and unease. Tobi and his team trudged through the battered terrain, their silence weighted by the events in the ruins.
Each of them had faced danger before, but this was different—calculated, cold, and far beyond what they had prepared for.
By the time they reached the camp's perimeter, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, casting long shadows over the battered buildings and makeshift shelters.
Guards at the gate stiffened at their approach, their eyes darting over the group's weary faces and battered equipment.
"Report to Commander Matilda immediately," one of the guards said, his voice clipped.
Tobi nodded, though every part of his body screamed for rest. Friend's voice whispered in his mind, soft but persistent. 'You must prepare yourself, Tobi. What you've discovered changes everything.'
Matilda was waiting in her command tent, poring over maps and reconnaissance reports.
