Chapter 278: The Survivors from that night.
"Yes," Alaric confirmed, his tone clipped. "He used the girls to feed his own power, summoning dark forces he couldn’t control. It looks like these beasts finished what we started."
Salviana’s face paled at his words.
She turned her head to avoid the sight of the mangled bodies on the ground. "So many lives... wasted," she murmured.
"We don’t have time to dwell on it," Lucius said sharply. He turned to Alaric. "What do we do now? If these beasts were controlled, then someone—or something—far more dangerous is behind all of this."
"We prepare," Alaric said, his voice steady despite the weight of the situation. "This isn’t over. Whoever controlled those beasts will try again."
Jaefel sheathed his sword, his jaw tight. "And when they do, we’ll be ready."
The portal, now reduced to a faint shimmer, began to close, its edges folding in on themselves until it disappeared entirely. The group let out a collective breath they hadn’t realized they were holding.
Salviana looked up at Alaric, her green eyes filled with worry. "Do you think they’ll come back?"
Alaric placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder. "If they do, they’ll regret it," he said firmly.
Lucius smirked faintly, his crimson eyes glinting. "Spoken like a true prince."
But as the group turned away from the ritual ground, their thoughts were heavy. The portal was gone, but the danger wasn’t.