Chapter 70 — The Dawn After Silence
The ridge breathed again.
For the first time in centuries, the mountain exhaled warmth instead of mist. The deep rumble that once signaled its grief was now soft and rhythmic, like the slow heartbeat of the world finding rest.
Arin stood on the cliff’s edge, his cloak swaying lightly in the morning wind. The sun had just begun to rise, casting long beams of amber light across the valley. Below him, the remnants of the broken city shimmered faintly—runes that once burned with power now lay dormant, whispering only echoes of what had been.
Lyra approached quietly. Her footsteps barely disturbed the dew-covered grass, and when she stopped beside him, she said nothing at first. Words felt fragile in this new peace.
Finally, she murmured, “It’s strange.
