Dawn had not yet fully broken when a thin mist began to settle over the shattered valley.
Cracked stones, earth scorched by clashing energies, and the lingering scent of blood stood as silent witnesses to the war that had just ended.
Yet the night full of roars had finally turned into an eerie stillness.
The remaining wolves moved slowly among the battle debris.
Some tended to the wounded.
Some lifted the bodies of their fallen.
And others simply stood still, as if still trying to grasp the reality that the war that had raged for so long… had finally truly ended.
In the middle of the valley, Aurelia stood at the edge of a cracked circle of earth.
The golden light that had once enveloped her body had now faded.
All that remained was a deep sense of exhaustion.
Lucien approached from behind.
His steps were slow, his sword already sheathed.
"You should be sitting down."
Aurelia smiled faintly without turning around.
"If I sit now, I might not get up again."
Lucien sighed.
