The battlefield was quiet now, the screams and clashing steel nothing more than a fading memory. Smoke lingered over the estate, curling around shattered walls and scorched earth, carrying the scent of iron and ash. Rayon stood in the center of the courtyard, hands clasped behind his back, eyes scanning the horizon. Cairo and Severin fell into position beside him, silently waiting for his words.
Rayon's voice broke the silence, calm but carrying a weight that drew attention. "We've made our statement. The Sanctum knows our names now, and every other power that dared ignore us will soon learn theirs." He paused, letting the moment hang. "But remaining here… tying ourselves to these walls, this estate… it limits us. It anchors us in one place. And anchors are weaknesses."
Cairo's brow furrowed. "You mean… leave it all behind? The Web?"
Rayon nodded slowly. "Yes. The Obsidian Web was never about permanence. It was a tool, a weapon. And now that the world has felt our strength… I want to move unseen. Build power in the shadows, gather forces, but on my terms. Solo, or at least untethered by anything but loyalty and skill."
Severin's grin was slow, predatory. "Finally. I thought you'd never say it. I grow tired of small victories and polite massacres. Let's move where the world doesn't expect us, where we can play without chains."
Rayon turned to both of them, eyes glinting with a dangerous light. "We'll travel, quietly at first. Gather those who are willing to serve, willing to survive. Expand our reach in ways no one else can anticipate. And when the time comes, the world will see us—not as an organization, but as a storm no one can escape."
Cairo's voice was calm, precise. "And the Web itself? The people, the soldiers? You don't want them following?"
Rayon shook his head. "Not all. Some will stay behind, those who cannot survive the shadows. But the heart of our power—us three—we leave no trace. The estate can burn, be rebuilt, or be abandoned. It does not matter. The Obsidian Web ends here, but what comes after… is limitless."
Severin let out a low laugh, almost a growl. "I like the sound of that. No boundaries. No rules. No army to manage, just us and the chaos we leave behind."
Rayon's lips curved into a thin, dangerous smile. "Exactly. And the world… it will bend to what we build, or it will break under it. Either way, the game changes—and we are the only players who matter."
The three of them stood in silence, the wind carrying the lingering echoes of battle across the empty fields. In that moment, the estate, the Web, and the shadows of the past all felt irrelevant. They were free, untethered, and lethal beyond imagination.
Rayon finally turned toward the horizon, cloak fluttering like a dark banner. "Tonight, we leave. Tomorrow, the world won't know we exist. But when they do… they'll remember the names they should have feared all along."
Cairo and Severin fell in step beside him. No words were needed. The Obsidian Web was over. What came next would be darker, bloodier, and wilder than anyone could imagine.
And as they disappeared into the horizon, the estate stood silent, a monument to what had been—and a warning of the storm to come.