Ashes still hung in the air, covering the bodies and debris, obscuring vision and stifling breath. The ground was drenched with the warm blood of fallen fighters, and the faint sound of flames emanating from the dragon's breathing echoed like the drumbeat of the end.
Sohan pressed his wound, blood trickling from his wounded arm, as he stood with difficulty beside Valo and two survivors. Around them, the remnants of the team lay scattered, some dead, others missing, and the rest too wounded to fight.
Valo, with a sharp stare and gasping words, said, "We must withdraw... This is not a battle to win... It's to survive."
Sohan, despite his pain, refused to withdraw without understanding: "Why does he know my name? Why was I the target? Who is this 'Sol Weather'? And what is that being beside him?"
Before anyone could respond, a heavy, solemn sound echoed, as if the dust had receded for the world to hear.
Sol Weather stood on a mound of corpses, dragging a black sword with broken edges, while his Dark Dragon roared, a voice that pierced the silence:
"Pale Flames... this land is no longer yours. You are children of light... in a time when light has died."
He then took a step forward and completed a sentence that had been written in memory:
"When the sun died, we were born from its ashes... never to return to the shadows."
He raised his hand and gestured... to begin a new round of attacks.
The second battle was fierce...
New monsters called "Shadow Crushers" appeared, massive, multi-headed creatures that walked on all four limbs, opened their mouths, and spewed clouds of deadly dust.
Sohan first used his defensive skill, "Withered Dawn Shield," a rare technique that generates a barrier of gray light, blocking direct attacks for a few seconds.
Valo fired his arrows with swift movements, shouting to his comrades, "Retreat to the valley! There's a narrow passage we can use!"
Survival was their only goal.
In the chaos, a small crystal fell from the bag of one of the dead. It was a rare "Sun Dust" crystal, and it momentarily illuminated, giving the team a way out.
As they fled through the dark valley, one of the soldiers shouted, "Why haven't they finished us off? Why have they let us go?"
And Sohan, his voice sharp, replied, "Because this was a message... just the beginning."