The silence after devastation was always the cruelest part.
Aurelia stood at the center of the fractured valley, the air still vibrating with the aftershock of power unleashed moments before. The ground bore the scars of the battle deep fissures etched like open wounds, scorched stone glowing faintly with residual energy, fragments of ancient architecture half-buried in ash.
She could still feel it.
The echo of the Voidborne’s presence.
Not gone.
Not destroyed.
Merely… withdrawn.
Her chest tightened as the realization settled into her bones.
This wasn't a victory.
It was survival.
Kane approached slowly from behind, every step measured. His armor was cracked, his shoulders streaked with blood and soot, but he was standing and that alone felt miraculous. When he stopped beside her
