The sun hung low over Rivemount, casting long, fractured shadows over a town that looked more like a husk than a place once brimming with life.
Saintess Marienne dismounted her horse with swift grace, her holy staff shimmering faintly as if responding to the cursed ground beneath her feet.
She really wanted to use her flying spell or teleportation spell to make her movement fast and effective.
But she never visited this town before so teleportation magic was impossible while not everyone could use flying spell and prohibited by the captain as her safety was their priority.
"This place… it feels wrong," one of the clerics whispered.
Marienne didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on the water purification tower ahead, its once-pristine columns now etched with faint red glyphs.
But what caught her attention more was the group waiting near the base of the hill—Prince Lorian and his elite unit, the Dawn Force.
Even from a distance, she could see it.
