---
The carriage moved through streets Leo had walked just hours earlier. They looked completely different now.
Imperial soldiers stood at every corner, moving in coordinated groups with sharp, focused vigilance. Torches and magical lanterns lit the roads, casting long shadows across broken pavement.
Buildings showed clear signs of damage. Scorch marks blackened walls. Windows lay shattered. Some structures had partially collapsed. Yet workers already moved through the rubble. Mages reinforced cracked walls with glowing spells. The city had begun repairing itself with calm, methodical efficiency.
Leo watched it all through the carriage window, trying to take in the scale of what had happened.
They passed a plaza where captured cultists knelt in long rows. Hands bound behind their backs. Energy-suppressing shackles glowed faintly on their wrists. Imperial guards stood watch over them. At least thirty prisoners, maybe more. All defeated. All waiting for whatever came next.
