The next morning after the battle, Astheria did not awaken to tranquility. Instead, it stirred beneath the pale glow of dawn, its streets alive with discussions tension.
The remnants of last night's chaos marred the district,walls crumbled, smoke hung thick in the air, and five buildings lay reduced to mere rubble, their skeletal remains jutting skyward.
Soldiers had already cordoned off the area with iron pikes and bright red banners, creating a stark barrier between chaos and order.
Crowds of commoners huddled together,four here, ten there,straining on their toes to catch a glimpse beyond the guards.
Their voices swirled through the streets like restless winds.
"Did you hear it last night? It shook my windows!"
"They say it was Mana Cultivators that were fighting …"
"Yeah..i think...it was mercenaries or Assassins! I saw them leap rooftops with incredible speed."
