[Lavinia's POV—Outside the Black Wall Fortress—Continuation]
The wind was colder today, Sharper and Less forgiving. As if even the air god had finally decided he no longer wished to comfort anyone in this cursed war.
The moment I stepped past the fortress gates, the noise hit me like a crashing tide—Screaming. Shoving. Grain sacks tearing open like burst veins.
The villagers—skinny, ragged, hollow-eyed—were clawing at each other in the mud for a single sack of rations.
One man slammed another to the ground. A woman ripped food from a child's hands. Two young men punched each other until blood dripped onto the frost.
My jaw clenched.
"SEIZE EVERY ONE OF THEM!!!"
My roar echoed across the field.
Soldiers rushed forward at once, pulling the villagers apart with brutal efficiency. The moment those starving people saw me—blood-stained cloak, cold crimson eyes—they froze mid-fight, But the desperation… It still burned in their eyes.
