Red Hill – Post-Attack
Red Hill didn't sleep that evening.
As dawn broke, smoke continued to curl from the smashed manors. Soldiers raked through the wreckage of the banquet hall. The unconscious nobles were carried out quietly in guarded carriages, while clerks took inventory of treasures that had "vanished." Witnesses spoke of shadows, flames, and sorcery—but every tale conflicted with the one that preceded it.
The City Lord moved swiftly. By midday, he decreed:
"Redhill was assaulted by radical rebels. Their mission was to assassinate senior officials and destabilize the Empire's authority."
The rumor circulated quickly. Broadsheets echoed the same phrases again and again: terrorist assault, overseas rebels.
No mention of mana crystals. No reference to monsters. No reference to the warriors Reth, Asthia, and Elenya had battled.
