The city burned.
Smoke curled into the evening sky as distant screams echoed through the streets. The walls had been breached.
Lucian stood at the edge of the chaos, watching as twisted forms crawled from the shadows—more of the creatures he and Elara had fought.
Only this time, there were more.
Dozens.
They moved unnaturally, their shifting bodies writhing as they descended upon the city like a plague.
Lucian's fingers twitched toward his blade. His instincts screamed at him to act.
But then—they arrived.
---
The first soldier moved faster than Lucian could track.
A blur of silver and crimson, weaving through the monstrous horde with inhuman speed.
A single stroke of her blade—and three creatures collapsed, their bodies bisected before they could even react.
Lucian barely caught sight of her insignia—a crest embroidered on her cloak, marking her as part of the city's elite force.
Another warrior followed—this one clad in obsidian armor, wielding a massive battle-axe. He slammed it into the ground, and the impact shattered the earth itself, sending creatures flying like ragdolls.
Then came the mages—robed figures standing in perfect formation, hands raised as intricate symbols burned into the air.
A heartbeat later, the sky rained fire.
Lucian felt the heat from where he stood as the flames engulfed the monsters, burning them to ash in mere moments.
It wasn't a battle.
It was an execution.
---
Elara stood beside him, arms crossed, watching the slaughter unfold.
Lucian exhaled slowly. "This isn't a normal military force."
Elara smirked. "Of course not. They're the Wardens."
Lucian didn't look at her. "And who exactly are they?"
Elara's eyes gleamed. "The ones who make sure this city stays standing."
Lucian remained silent as another soldier effortlessly beheaded one of the larger creatures, her movements so precise that not a single drop of blood touched her armor.
These weren't adventurers.
They weren't mercenaries.
They were something else entirely.
Lucian watched as his own victory from the previous night felt smaller.
Because these warriors—
They weren't just fighting monsters.
They were wiping them out like insects.
---
Minutes later, the battlefield was silent.
The creatures that had terrorized the city lay in pieces, their unnatural bodies already beginning to dissolve.
One of the leading soldiers, a woman with short silver hair and cold, calculating eyes, surveyed the area before turning to her squad. "Burn the remains. Secure the gates. No survivors."
Lucian felt a chill run down his spine.
There was no hesitation in her voice.
No concern.
Just efficiency.
---
As the fires consumed the corpses, Elara stretched lazily. "Well. That was entertaining."
Lucian glanced at her. "You weren't surprised."
She smiled. "Should I have been?"
Lucian didn't answer.
Because somewhere, deep inside, he realized something.
This city wasn't safe just because of its walls.
It was safe because anything that threatened it was erased.
And the people who did the erasing…
Were terrifying.