The journey back to Valtoria felt longer than before, weighted by both exhaustion and contemplation. Kael and his companions moved in silence through the mist-laden forests and rugged hills, each of them lost in the echoes of the battle in the Vale of Shadows. They had achieved a monumental victory, yet the experience had left them changed, bearing the intangible scars of their encounter with the void.
As they neared the city gates, the towering spires of Valtoria came into view, their lights twinkling like beacons of warmth against the approaching dusk. The people waiting at the gates cheered, their relief and joy palpable as they welcomed their protectors back home. Children ran forward, waving, and townsfolk gathered to greet the warriors who had risked everything to defend them.
