CHAPTER 25: THE FINAL SACRIFICE
The battlefield did not return to silence after Aether’s collapse, it held its breath. The light Rowan had released faded slowly, dissolving into the broken remains of the city, leaving behind a fragile stillness that felt more like the edge of a storm than its end. The ground was cracked beyond recognition, the air thick with fading energy, and at the center of it all stood Aether, no longer towering, no longer stable, but still standing. His form flickered violently, shadows tearing away from him in fragments, yet something within him refused to vanish completely. Kevin, Rwanda, and Rowan stood together, their bodies worn, their strength nearly drained, but their eyes locked forward. They all felt it. This wasn’t over. Not yet.
Aether slowly lifted his
