The child's eyes met theirs one last time, and in that moment, everything changed. The realization struck them like a blow.
The war, the demons, the sacrifices, it was all part of a grand design. But the child understood something Alishiera and Devancier did not want to face, they had a choice.
"Thank you," the child whispered, his tears falling as he smiled softly.
And then, with a single motion, he ended his own life, his body crumbling to ash as the demons that had once followed him also disintegrated into nothingness.
The battlefield fell silent.
The war was over.
Alishiera and Devancier stood there, their hearts heavy with the knowledge of what had just transpired.
The demons were gone, and their power shattered. But at what cost?
The child's sacrifice, his tragic end, had ended the war, but it had also revealed the ugly truth of the world they had fought to protect.
