Chapter 19 From Ashes, We Rise

• The roar of a gunshot cut through the air, breaking the suffocating silence. The commander’s backup, trained to respond without hesitation, immediately redirected their focus toward its origin.
• “Come on!” Evee called out, her voice sharp and urgent as she sprinted through the haze of chaos. She didn’t give Emily a chance to process or second-guess. Instinctively, Emily followed, her feet pounding against the ground as they disappeared into the smoke that choked the city.
• The devastation they left behind was unimaginable. With the destruction of Ebonspire Academy, River's hope for maintaining its supremacy had all but crumbled. What little control the soldiers had managed to maintain evaporated, replaced by an uncontrollable panic that spread like wildfire.