The capital was different now.
Nathan noticed it the moment the transport crossed the city limits—the same broad streets, the same mana-powered buses, the same buildings rising toward the red-streaked sky. But the atmosphere had shifted.
The tension that had gripped the city during the Cleansing was gone, replaced by something quieter. Something almost like relief. The fires were out. The Towers were stable. The Court was broken.
The battle was over.
Nathan sat near the front of the transport, Moonlight resting across his knees, his three summons in their small forms around him. Mirko on his shoulder, Kuro in his jacket, Shiro on his head. Through the link, he could feel their quiet contentment—the same bone-deep weariness he felt, but softened by the knowledge that they had won. They had actually won.
