The air outside the Black Hollow was cool, filled with the scent of damp earth and renewal. It was as if the world itself was trying to catch its breath, savoring the stillness that had come after the storm. The land stretched out before them, quiet and unbroken, but Isla couldn’t shake the feeling that this silence was only temporary. The peace they had won felt fragile, like a delicate thread that might snap at any moment.
Isla had hoped, in the deepest corners of her heart, that when the battle was over, the world would return to a semblance of normalcy. But she knew better now. Nothing would ever be the same. The Rift was gone, yes. The Queen had been destroyed, and the forces that had torn the world apart were now silenced. But in their place, something new was growing, something unp
