The little girl stumbled through the rubble, her dress torn, her face smudged with soot and tears. The distant sound of monsters echoed through the destroyed streets of Azalith—the guttural roar of magical beasts and the crackling of corrupted mana burning the air.
She ran without knowing where to go, her heart beating so fast that each step felt like thunder in her small chest. The houses were in ruins, the golden light of the old academy barrier flickering in the sky like a candle about to go out.
When the shadow moved behind her, the girl screamed. She thought it was the end—another creature, another death.
But then, a dry sound echoed: clack... clack... clack...—the sound of bones moving.
