「Two days later.」
A rumor about a "horrific battlefield discovered on the edge of the Dark Hills" began to spread.
It started circulating on a small scale among the mid to high-level Wizards of the High Tower.
At first, no one paid it any mind. Battles in the wilderness were all too common.
But as more details emerged—"a suspected eruption of Level One Peak Death Witchcraft," "some unknown Annihilation-type Energy," "a perfect, glazed hemisphere wiped clean from the ground"...
This, combined with the inquiry from the Withered Council a few days prior about the mysterious deaths of its members...
...as well as the sudden closure and reopening of Ian Marcus's Magic Pharmacy.
Those with a keen sense for such things began to connect the dots.
In the cafeteria, a few Level One Wizards huddled together, their voices hushed to a whisper.
"Did you hear? The Withered Council lost three Stewards, right outside our High Tower!"
