The sun had fully risen now, painting the transformed manor house in warm gold light. What had once been the Dark Lord's fortress now looked like something from a storybook—peaceful, inviting, completely ordinary. Birds had already begun nesting in the eaves, as if they'd always been there.
Morgana stood apart from the others, staring at the building. Her hands hung at her sides, her staff resting against her shoulder. She hadn't moved for several minutes.
"He's really gone," she said quietly. Not a question this time. Just a statement, repeated as if saying it enough times would make it feel real.
Adam walked up beside her, hands in his pockets. "Yeah. He's really gone. You can stop checking now."
