Chapter 1676: Chapter 1494: Fire Drake

A flicker of loneliness, a rare and unwelcome guest, crossed Maria's icy gaze as she surveyed the frozen wasteland she'd wrought. This wasn't a true victory, just a cold, sterile solution. A temporary respite in the face of a relentless storm. Stanmore was silent, yes, but the silence held the weight of a thousand shattered lives, both monstrous and human.

A sigh escaped her lips, a wisp of condensation in the frigid air. "Come back soon, my love," she murmured, a plea more for herself than the frozen city.

"Things are escalating, and the war draws closer." She missed Alex, her fiancé, a yearning that gnawed at the edges of her composure. He was within the treacherous Infinity Maze, another front in this never-ending conflict trying to give them a chance in this war. And she wasn't the only one who felt his absence. The others, the scattered members of the family and friends as well, shared her longing.