The scent of ash clung to the air for days.
When dawn finally crept over the horizon, it revealed what was left of the sect. Half-buried pillars, broken pavilions, and blackened stone still warm from the explosion of demonic energy that had torn through the underground chamber.
I never knew that the aftermath of that ritual would result in so much destruction and I was immediately worried for Yan. I stood in the middle of the wreckage, robes streaked with soot, staring at the gaping hole where the council hall used to be. The once-proud banners of the Azure Sect fluttered limply, torn and stained.
Yan stood a few feet away, silent as always. His expression was unreadable, but the energy radiating from him was darker now, heavier, as if the flames from that night hadn't entirely left his veins.
When the survivors began to crawl out from the rubble, they didn't look at Yan like a savior.
