"Victory is not the end of war. It is merely the beginning of something else—something harder, something more fragile. Peace."
The Ruins of Verauno
The scent of smoke and blood still clung to the air, lingering like a ghost of the war that had nearly shattered Verauno.
The once-great city stood in ruins. Walls scorched from battle. Streets littered with the remnants of the fallen. The people—our people—moved through the destruction with hollowed eyes, their faces carrying the weight of loss.
We had won.
But at what cost?
I stood at the highest balcony of the castle, surveying what remained of the capital. The silence was heavier than the war itself.
Aria stood beside me, arms crossed, her face unreadable.
She had saved this kingdom. With power no one could have predicted, she had t
