The heavy smoke of the ruined city finally began to clear. The violent purple clouds dissolved completely into the cold winter wind. The brilliant blue sky of Aethelgard reasserted its dominance over the Western Duchy. The Demon King lay dead on the shattered cobblestones. His black blood pooled darkly around his ruined armor.
Valeria stood perfectly still in the center of the grand plaza. She listened to the deafening cheers of the Imperial soldiers and the desperate weeping of the saved civilians. She had done the impossible. She had locked the Grand Gate and executed the monarch of the Void.
The clatter of heavy armored hooves echoed loudly down the main boulevard.
