A year later, Elara opened a new school in Tidehaven—a place where healers from all races could learn not just medicine and magic, but the deeper lessons of balance. The transformed Heart of Shadow sat in the center of the school, a reminder that even the darkest parts of our past can be made whole.
Kael became one of the school's teachers, sharing his knowledge of history and his understanding of how hatred can twist even good intentions. Together, they helped train a new generation of healers—people who knew that true healing meant mending not just bodies, but communities, not just wounds, but divisions.
On a clear spring day, Elara stood in the school courtyard, watching her students work together to tend to a garden where human crops grew alongside elven herbs and vampire-resistant plants. Kael joined her, holding a small box.
"I found this in the temple," he said, opening it to reveal a small, dark seed. "The old syndicate thought it was a seed of destruction, but I think it's something else."
They planted the seed in the center of the garden, and Elara used her magic to help it grow. Within weeks, it sprouted into a beautiful flower—dark petals with bright centers, a perfect balance of shadow and light.
"This is what we're building," Elara said, looking at the flower. "A world where every part has its place, where even the things we once feared can become sources of strength."