Chapter 25: Dawn of Ashes
The Bastion was no longer a fortress but a graveyard. Smoke rose in plumes from the ruins, mixing with the pale light of the morning sun. The Iron Order, once the embodiment of strength and unity, had been reduced to a handful of weary survivors.
General Rhyssa Kord stood at the edge of the battlefield, her armor scorched and her sword cracked. The air was heavy with silence, save for the faint whispers of the wind carrying the memories of what had been lost.
A Quiet Reckoning
Captain Jorath approached, limping slightly from an injury sustained in the final battle. He carried a report in his hand, though it seemed almost trivial to deliver it.
"General," he began, his voice low, "the numbers are in. We've lost over 90% of our forces. The survivors are scattered and barely holding together."
Kord didn't turn to face him. Her gaze was fixed on the horizon, where the faintest glimmer of hope might yet lie. "What about the corruption?" she asked.
Jorath shook his head. "Gone. Whatever you did—whatever happened in that chamber—it seems to have purged the taint. Those who survived are… themselves again."
Kord finally turned, her eyes hollow but resolute. "That's something, at least. But it's not enough."
The Legacy of the Shard
Despite the Shard's destruction, its shadow lingered. The survivors spoke in hushed tones of what they had seen and heard, of the nightmares that still haunted their waking moments.
In the makeshift infirmary, Ilryn, the young recruit who had been most affected by the Shard, sat staring into space. His hands trembled as he spoke to Jorath.
"It's gone, isn't it?" Ilryn asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
Jorath nodded. "The Shard is destroyed. You're safe now."
Ilryn shook his head, his eyes brimming with fear. "You don't understand. It's not gone. Not really. I can still feel it. Like… like it's watching, waiting for the right moment to return."
Jorath didn't reply. He simply placed a reassuring hand on Ilryn's shoulder and left, his own doubts gnawing at him.
Malvek's Journal
Among the ruins of the Shard chamber, a soldier discovered a scorched journal belonging to Inquisitor Malvek. Though much of it was illegible, a few passages had survived, written in Malvek's frantic hand:
"The Shard is more than a weapon. It is a gateway, a bridge to something vast and ancient. We are but fragments of a larger design."
"I see it now—the truth they whispered to me. The Shard's destruction is not the end. It is the beginning."
The journal was brought to Kord, who read it in silence. When she finished, she burned the pages, unwilling to let Malvek's madness infect what remained of her people.
A Fractured Order
In the days that followed, the survivors began to rebuild, though it was clear that the Iron Order would never be the same. Many soldiers deserted, unable to bear the weight of what they had witnessed. Others stayed, loyal to Kord but uncertain of their future.
During a council meeting, Jorath voiced what everyone