Malvoria stretched her arms above her head, rolling her shoulders as she stood on the edge of a high cliff overlooking the valley below.
The crisp morning air filled her lungs, carrying the distant scent of damp earth and pine, tinged faintly with the iron bite of dried blood. A week had passed since she had set out on this mission, and it had been... good for her.
Fighting always had a way of centering her.
It wasn't just about the battle itself—it was the hunt, the chase, the thrill of tracking down threats and obliterating them with precision.
The villages she had stopped by had been suffering under constant attacks from roaming monsters, and though many of them had called for aid before, none had received the personal attention of their queen.
Normally, Malvoria would have sent a squad to handle it, but she had needed this.
She had needed the escape.
And it had been satisfying.
