While the three families of god were having their own moment, the empire was busy preparing for the end. Words about the end of the war were spreading, leaving everyone in a state of tense anticipation. The mages, the goblins, and all the other factions put aside their differences and ambitions, knowing that their survival depended on a united front.
The mage council and the ogre generals, who once held a deep-seated disdain for one another, were now discussing tactics together. Their animosity was still there, but it was hidden well beneath a veneer of professional necessity. The Emperor, in the absence of Vellok, was a silent witness to this unexpected unity.
He couldn't help but wonder: what if they had started this way from the beginning? What if they had abandoned the mages' singular path and forged a new, more inclusive way forward for themselves and the empire?
