And so when Lily opened her eyes, the warehouse was still. The shadows had receded; they no longer clung to the walls. Symbols on the floor had burned away, leaving only ash.
Air was calm but the weight of what happened settled in her chest. The shadows were gone—for now. The gate closed.
But at what cost?
Lily stood, her body aching, her mind reeling. The power she'd used, the force of it—it was too much for her to fully comprehend. The shadows had been inside her, but now, there was a hollow space where they had been. A deep emptiness.
The mother's face stayed in her head. Was she gone or taken by the shadows into darkness and all that remained was the outline of what once was?
Lily scanned the vacant warehouse. She had made the choice. She had closed the gate. She had stopped the shadows.
But the thing was, they still lurked out there, watching and waiting.
And Lily would be ready.