The valley blazed, shard‑light flooding the abyss. Elira's crown flared, flame and smoke entwining into a torrent of memory reborn.
Marlic staggered, spear splintered, his abyss collapsing around him. The alliance pressed forward—Ashbound torches blazing, Emberkin shields pulsing, Kael's blade gleaming brighter than ever.
Their voices rose as one:
"Grief belongs to all. And together, we endure!"
The storm shattered, shadow torn apart, abyss dissolved into silence. Marlic fell to his knees, ember eyes dimming, his voice breaking into a whisper.
"I carried them… but grief consumed me. Now… I see."
Elira stepped forward, crown blazing. "You are not abyss. You are memory. And memory endures."
The dawn broke across the horizon, flame and smoke rising together. The alliance stood victorious—not by destroying grief, but by sharing it.