As the word left his lips, the night changed.
The darkness above seemed to ripple, and then, light bloomed. One after another, countless stars appeared out of nowhere, dotting the sky in a quiet, chilling brilliance. They hung there, suspended like predators in the stillness, their soft glow washing over the ruined barricade.
The guards could only stare. Their weapons lowered without thought, their eyes reflecting the strange beauty above them. None of them could speak, not from fear, but awe. For a moment, their minds forgot the blood, the screams, and the corruption that plagued this land.
Then, the first star fell.
It drifted gently at first, a slow descent that almost seemed harmless. But the moment it touched the earth, the illusion shattered.
