Into the Sea of Flames
Leon looked toward the guards.
The wind outside the Taylor residence carried ash.
It drifted through the courtyard in faint gray threads, settling over the stone tiles like dust blown from a battlefield not far away.
His purple eyes narrowed slightly.
"Is your clan leader at home?"
The guards stationed at the gate visibly stiffened.
One of them swallowed before answering, his voice strained.
"A few days ago, the Patriarch led several experts from the clan into the wasteland to aid the refugees. They haven't returned yet."
There was exhaustion on his face.
And fear.
Not fear of Leon—
but of whatever horrors lurked beyond the city walls.
Leon frowned.
He had already seen enough on the way here.
The entire Forsaken Domain surrounding Ashford City had fallen into chaos.
Smoke rose in dark columns in the distance.
Villages burned.
Refugees flooded toward the city like a desperate tide.
