The morning sun felt strange on Elysia's skin as she walked through the quiet neighborhood. After everything that had happened, the familiar streets and normal routines felt surreal, as if the battle against the Shadowsworn had been a distant nightmare. She glanced at Lucian and Giselle, both walking alongside her, each seemingly lost in their own thoughts. Adric had left them early that morning, offering a brief, reassuring smile before vanishing into the shadows once more.
As they approached their school, Elysia felt a wave of relief. For a moment, she allowed herself to believe that life could return to the way it was—a life where she was just a teenager, where her friendships felt genuine, and her nights weren't filled with battles against ancient enemies.
They slipped back into their usual routine over the next week. Lucian joined his soccer team again, Giselle was absorbed in art projects, and Elysia returned to her classes, content to blend into the background. She found solace in the quiet moments with her friends, laughing and joking as if the past days hadn't changed them. Yet, there was a weight in her chest that she couldn't shake.
One evening, as they walked home together after a late study session, Lucian turned to Elysia. "So… what now? Are we done with all the dark, ancient stuff? Can we be normal again?"
Elysia offered him a faint smile. "I'd like that. For now, I think we just live."
But as the words left her mouth, something shifted in the air around them. The temperature dropped, and a familiar chill slid down her spine. Elysia's hand instinctively went to the relic hidden under her jacket, which now seemed to pulse faintly, a warning of a threat she couldn't yet see.
In the distance, a figure stood under a streetlight, partially hidden in shadow, watching them. Elysia strained to see his face, but before she could focus, he turned and disappeared into the night.
Giselle sensed the tension. "Elysia? What is it?"
She forced a smile, though her eyes lingered on the empty spot where the stranger had stood. "Nothing… probably just my imagination."
But even as she tried to reassure herself, a lingering dread settled over her. The Shadowsworn might have been defeated, but something else was out there, watching, waiting. And deep down, she knew this was only the beginning.
As they turned the corner toward home, Elysia cast one last glance over her shoulder, half-expecting to see that figure reappear. But there was only silence—and a feeling that their fragile peace wouldn't last for long.