The morning sun rose over the mountains, painting the valley in shades of gold and amber. The birds were singing. The breeze was gentle. The world was peaceful.
And for the first time in years, Ethan felt something he'd almost forgotten.
Freedom.
Not the freedom of survival. Not the freedom of victory. Something deeper. Something steadier. The freedom of knowing that the darkness was gone. That the threat was over. That the world was safe.
He stood on the porch of the community center, watching the light spread across the buildings below. It had been a month since they'd destroyed the anchor in the Himalayas. A month of watching the community heal. A month of watching the fear fade. A month of watching hope bloom like flowers after a long winter.
The city had grown beyond anything the
