When the smoke cleared, the Serpent was gone—scattered into ash, his whispers silenced.
The Crown lay shattered once more, its shards dim and lifeless at Aric's feet. His body trembled, fire flickering weakly. Mira caught him before he fell.
"It's over," she whispered. "You did it."
Aric looked at the broken shards. "No. It's never over. The fire is still here. But… it's mine now."
They climbed from the ruins as dawn broke across the valley. Light spilled over the shattered city, painting it gold.
Edran was gone. The Serpent was slain. The Crown lay in ruins.
And Aric—scarred, weary, burning—walked into the dawn not as a pawn, but as himself.
The world's fate was uncertain. But for the first time, it felt like his choice to make.
fin