Dawn never truly reached the depths of the Obsidian Forest. Even when the sun rose, its golden rays only kissed the treetops, never touching the blood-soaked soil where war brewed.
Today, the war would tilt. Not with swords. Not with monsters.
But with brilliance.
"We're abandoning the fortress."
The war room, a chamber carved from the cold, damp stone beneath the ruins, fell into a stunned silence. The holographic map, glowing with the positions of our scattered units, cast an ethereal blue light on the grim faces of my faction members.
Layla's violet eyes narrowed, her commander's composure unwavering. "Explain."
I tapped a sequence on the glowing terrain map. The image of the fortress, our well-defended stronghold, flickered before vanishing. In its place, a complex, three-dimensional schematic of subterranean tunnels and echo chambers materialized—an ancient, forgotten structure beneath the forest known as the Cendy Labyrinth.
