POV: Captain Riven Darse
Smoke blackened the skies over Aurelian.
The capital was chaos incarnate—shattered glass rained from high towers, sirens howled like wounded animals, and distant explosions rumbled through the streets like thunder swallowed by steel. Panic spread faster than flame. Citizens trampled one another in the alleys, slipping on blood-slick stone, while volunteer medics screamed orders drowned out by the roar of collapsing buildings.
Hunter beacons blinked red across the skyline, signaling breach zones. Portals twisted open above rooftops, bleeding shadow and shrieking wind.
In the lower districts, D-Rank and C-Rank hunters scrambled to form defense rings. Most had no training in evacuation protocol—they moved on instinct, shielding terrified civilians with trembling arms and flickering barrier runes. Children cried in the arms of strangers. Elders knelt in the streets, whispering prayers beneath the screams.
