As dawn broke, cold daylight peeked through the dense clouds over the coast, the sea breeze still chilly.
In stark contrast to last night's chaos in Hegrales Town, a fishing village about ten kilometers away was eerily quiet.
A young woman in a deep brown cloak, hood over her head, brushed aside strands of black hair tossed by the sea wind.
She gazed toward the distant silhouette of the town, now shrouded in fog, its outline barely visible.
Her deep purple eyes fixated on it for a long while before she finally looked away, returning to a small wooden cabin by the sea, her basket full of gathered herbs.
Inside, the fireplace crackled, rare sunlight streaming through the windows onto shelves lined with various bottles and jars.
Opposite the shelves, an old wooden table served as an alchemy station, decked out with a brass scale, crucible, parchment filled with formulas, a quill, and various magical ingredients.
