We did the right thing, the Lightmaster reminded himself as he watched from the top of the renowned Palace of Kings in Belgrave. Stretched out in front of him was the whole city, or what was left of it.The destruction had been dire.Painful lessons drew blood.It had to be done.The King had already vacated his seat and left for Dunwell, where he would re-establish order and prepare to give a speech to his people. Newspapers would write his deeply emotional words, the regret and the pain of it, but more so the inevitability of their reality which came knocking on their door when they least expected it.A true reminder. Will it be worth the price, I wonder?The revelation had been clear. Lord Zodros himself appeared before him in his ethereal form, told him of their fast-approaching end. Enough with this farce, He had said. Haven’s Reach had to be prepared for the grave future that awaited it with its claws.He never told us that there would be two of them, however.The Lightmaster shook his head as he heard the steps of his men working the Riftgate underneath the Palace of Kings. They would be in the Broken Lands soon, reuniting with the rest of the Guild to bring the young ones to complete their Trials. Fresh blood for their cause, and this destruction would bring more to their ranks.Churning fog tingled on his back, prickling his skin as if he was touched by something dark. Green through and through, with its insidious presence trying to seep in.Then came a tap of a great cane, and a figure stepped slowly beside him, wrapped in a black robe.“A fine battle should have three things,” Zahul muttered in his rasping voice, the sockets in his skull almost gleaming with mirth. “Unexpected complications, surprising revelations, and a great deal of hectic chaos. This one, I daresay, delivered grandly on those expectations. Proved a touch scenic, as well. As (...)