The violence in the capital had only escalated further over the last few days. Entire properties had been destroyed, some burned completely to the ground by rebels who moved through the city like a merciless storm. Shops, homes, and marketplaces that once bustled with life had been reduced to blackened ruins and smoldering debris. Worse still, lives had been lost. Some people had been unable to escape the collapsing wreckage before the flames consumed everything around them.
Thick plumes of dark smoke billowed endlessly into the sky, spreading across the capital in a dense inky shroud that blotted out the skies and left the air heavy with ash. The scent of burning wood lingered everywhere, clinging stubbornly to the streets.
Fear had settled over the people in the capital like a suffocating fog. Citizens hurried through the streets, never knowing where the next attack would erupt.
Many had gone to inspect the destruction firsthand, including Jayran.
