The city gate loomed behind us, its massive steel frame casting a long, jagged shadow over the cracked earth.
Beyond it, the world stretched out in shades of gray and green, rolling hills, dense forests, and the faint outline of distant mountains shrouded in mist.
The air always smelled different out here, sharp and wild, carrying the faint tang of damp soil and something else I couldn't quite place.
Danger, maybe.
It was hard to tell.
I stood with my team, the five of us huddled in a loose circle just outside the gate.
The others were already moving, soldiers and awakened alike fanning out across the open field, their voices carrying on the wind as they organized themselves into groups around the wall.
Some were seasoned fighters, their movements sharp and confident.
Others, newbies, looked lost, their wide eyes and fumbling hands betraying their inexperience or rather fear.
