The moment Lilith stepped through the entrance of the Darkness Ruin, sunlight struck her face so suddenly that she instinctively closed her eyes.
After what had felt like an eternity surrounded by absolute darkness, even the warmth of the sun seemed unnatural.
She stood there for several seconds without moving, breathing in the cool mountain air while her senses slowly adjusted to the outside world.
Aether flowed around her again, the wind brushed against her skin, distant birds called from somewhere among the mountains, and for the first time since the trial began, she could hear sounds that weren't created by the ruin.
Her shadows had returned as well.
They stretched beneath her feet naturally, responding to her presence as they always had, yet Lilith could no longer look at them in quite the same way.
