The battlefield lay quiet beneath a slowly mending sky. The shattered ruins of what once was a thriving land now smoldered with fading embers, whispers of the recent carnage lingering in the heavy air. Russ sat on a jagged rock, his body battered but his spirit unbroken. Beside him, Mira tended to her own wounds, her radiant Blood Phoenix aura flickering faintly as exhaustion weighed upon her.
"We held them off," Mira said softly, eyes scanning the horizon. "But this isn't the end."
Russ nodded, fingers tracing the crimson scars that marked his arms. "The Void's hunger only grows. What we destroyed was a fragment. Something smaller." He closed his eyes, feeling the distant pulse of corrupted qi still echoing across the land. "The real threat is still out there… waiting."
A sharp crack in the distance pulled their attention. From the edge of the battlefield, a figure emerged, cloaked in tattered robes and shadow, eyes glowing with unnatural light. The air around them seemed to warp, bending to their will.
"Mystra…" Mira breathed, recognizing the enigmatic sorceress whose allegiance was unknown.
The figure stopped, gaze fixed on Russ and Mira. "Your victory is hollow," Mystra's voice was a cold whisper that carried weight far beyond mortal ears. "The Void's true master watches, and your defiance only hastens the reckoning."
Russ rose slowly, muscles protesting but determination flaring. "Then let him come."
Mystra's lips curled into a sinister smile. "Patience, Heir. Soon, the skies will bleed again, and the shadows will consume all you hold dear."
Without another word, Mystra vanished into a swirl of darkness, leaving Russ and Mira with a chilling promise.
Mira's fists clenched. "We need to prepare. If the master of the Void is coming, we'll need every ally, every ounce of power."
Russ stared into the deepening twilight. "Then we fight. Not just for survival… but for the future."
The wind whispered through the ruins, carrying with it the echoes of battles past and the unyielding spirit of those who refuse to yield.