Several more days passed. The gloom in the sky finally scattered, bringing a rare, clear morning to Blackstone Fortress.
All was quiet in the direction of Eagle's Beak Peak. The monster corpses on the wilderness had been mostly cleared away, and the once-ubiquitous stench of sulfur and rust in the air had faded until it was nearly imperceptible.
Simple scaffolding had been erected over the damaged sections of the outer wall, where artisans, commoners, and soldiers were hurrying to make repairs.
Meanwhile, in the central square of the Inner Castle, a solemn and dignified ceremony was underway.
The square had been cleared and swept clean ahead of time, its ground covered with fine white sand, a symbol of sanctity.
At the northern end, a temporary wooden platform about two meters high had been erected, draped with a heavy, deep red carpet embroidered with golden thread.
