The dragon was gone.
Just dust. Gray powder floating in the air.
It covered their clothes. Their hair. Their bloody, tired faces.
For a long moment, nobody moved. Nobody spoke.
They just stood there. Breathing hard. Trying to believe it was real.
They'd won.
They'd actually won.
Then Lana started laughing.
Not a small laugh. A big, crazy, happy laugh.
She threw her head back and laughed at the ceiling. At the empty space where the dragon used to be.
Her laugh echoed off the bone walls. Loud. Wild. Free.
"We did it!" she shouted between laughs. "We actually killed a god!"
Erica started laughing too.
But hers was different. Mixed with crying. Relief pouring out of her.
She'd almost died. She'd charged at that thing knowing she'd probably die.
But she didn't.
She was alive.
Jin allowed himself a small smile. His first real smile in weeks.
It felt strange on his face. Like he'd forgotten how.
Even Masha just stood there. Staring. Her cold mask cracking.
