Two days later...
Aether formally informed the Aurora Empire to prepare for the final engagement.
Sera and Helena stormed back the moment they learned he had awakened, their relief tangled tightly with anger. They scolded him relentlessly for not informing them sooner, voices sharp with fear they had carried through sleepless nights and anxious days, each word striking him harder!
After patient coaxing, soft laughter, and a fair share of teasing that melted the tension between them, the storm finally passed.
The two women departed happily for their Empire, already discussing preparations for the engagement with renewed excitement.
Aether spent his time working alongside Mareth.
Everything moved forward without disruption, and for the first time in a long while, the world felt ordinary.
The Empires seemed to return to what they once were, not battlefields or ticking disasters, but functioning realms with people simply living their lives.
