When I woke up, the first thing I noticed was the silence. It was so profound, almost as if the world was holding its breath. I opened my eyes to a sky that was clearer than it had been in days, maybe even weeks—a deep, serene blue with the faintest hint of pink on the horizon. The air was crisp, cool against my skin, and I could feel the faint warmth of the sun starting to rise. It was a new day, one that felt almost surreal after the chaos of the battle.
For a moment, I simply lay there, letting the reality of our victory sink in. We had done it. Against all odds, we had defeated the darkness that had threatened to consume everything. But with that realization came a flood of emotions—relief, exhaustion, grief for those we'd lost, and an overwhelming sense of finality. The fight was over, but the scars it left behind were still fresh, both on the land and in our hearts.
