The ruined chamber settled into an uneasy stillness once Noel stepped forward, the echoes of the final clash fading into the fractured stone around him. Dust drifted lazily through the air, catching faint traces of light filtering in through shattered walls and collapsed ceilings. He moved slowly, carefully, stepping over broken chains and fragments of armor that no longer held any mana, his eyes scanning the debris for the Shard. It wasn't immediately visible. Somewhere during the last exchange it had been knocked free, swallowed by the destruction that had torn the room apart.
