The whole way back, the air still carried the scorched, splintered bite of the battle. Out on the perimeter, swaths of land were visibly scarred where power had washed over it.
The moment they reached the main city, Ethan issued an order to raise the outer energy barrier again.
A heavy defensive curtain rose slowly from all sides, linking together high overhead into a new sealed layer. Only when that barrier fully closed did Ethan's expression ease, just a little.
He'd just finished a major battle and brought everyone back to Emerald Castle… and the second they hit the outskirts, they got greeted by a squad of monsters.
That almost never happened before.
Back in the palace, Ethan didn't waste time. He immediately pulled out map after map from the internal archives, spread them across a long table, then grabbed several older charts from the side and began comparing them page by page.
