It was over.
The battlefield was silent now, save for the occasional gust of wind that carried the scent of burnt earth. The sky above was a dim, sickly gray, as though even the heavens themselves had been stained by the violence below. There was nothing left—no glory, no triumph. Just the hollow remnants of a war that had cost everything.
Kael stood amidst the ruins, his clothes tattered and stained with blood, his face ashen. The Pale Flame was gone, but the world still felt like it was crumbling. The silence felt like a wound in itself, a reminder that nothing could truly be rebuilt after what had transpired.
Beside him, Elyra collapsed to her knees, the weight of their journey finally taking its toll. Her flame had burned low, her strength nearly spent. But she had done it. She had stood by him. And they had ended it—together.
Kael sank to the ground beside her, his breath ragged. His fingers brushed against her cheek, searching for something, anything, to prove that they had survived. That they were still alive.
But even as he touched her skin, he knew the truth. There was nothing left for them in this world. Not after all that they had lost.
Elyra looked at him, her eyes hollow, but there was something there still. Something that hadn't been completely extinguished by the war. A spark. A flicker of the fire they had once had. "We did it," she said softly, as though she could hardly believe it.
Kael didn't answer right away. Instead, he looked out over the ruined land, his heart heavy. "No," he finally said. "We didn't."
Elyra furrowed her brow, confused, but Kael's eyes were distant, as if he were seeing something beyond the destruction. "This was never about defeating the Pale Flame," he said quietly. "It was about surviving it. And now, we're left with the ashes."
Her heart clenched. "What does that mean for us?"
Kael's gaze softened, just for a moment. He reached out, pulling her close, his arms trembling with the weight of their shared burden. "It means... we rebuild," he said quietly, though the words held little conviction.
And maybe that was the truth. Maybe the world would never be the same. Maybe there would be no grand return to the light, no happy ending.
But maybe, just maybe, they could find something. Something to hold on to in the midst of the ruin. A flicker of hope in the ashes.
And together, they would carry it through.