The battle was over, but Kael couldn't shake the weight of what had happened. The valley that had been the battleground now felt eerily silent, the echoes of conflict fading into the distance. The masked figure and Cyrus were both defeated, their bodies lying motionless on the ground. But Kael's victory felt hollow, the cost of the war hanging over him like a heavy shroud.
Selene stood beside him, her eyes scanning the aftermath, the chaos of the battlefield now slowly quieting as their soldiers began to regroup. Her hand was still resting lightly in his, a silent anchor in the storm that raged within him.
“We did it," Kael muttered, the words barely audible against the weight of the silence.
Selene's gaze softened, but her voice was firm. “We've taken the first step. But the empire won
