The sun was setting as they walked, the golden light casting long shadows on the ground. The world around them felt both familiar and alien—a world he had once tried to escape, and yet, a world he now found himself a part of once again.
Shree Yan and Shidhara reached the edge of a small village, its inhabitants going about their daily lives, unaware of the monumental changes that had taken place just beyond their borders. The simplicity of it all struck Shree Yan—how ordinary life seemed in comparison to the chaos he had lived. He had once thought that power and immortality were the only things worth seeking, but now, in the quiet of the village, he saw the beauty in simplicity.
They stopped near a small stream, the sound of the water gently flowing a balm to Shree Yan's turbulent thoughts. He stood at the edge, watching the clear water rush past, as if it were carrying away all his regrets with its current.
"What now?" he asked quietly, not sure if he was asking her or himself.
Shidhara's gaze lingered on the stream before she turned to face him. "Now, we rebuild. We find what's left to protect. The world hasn't ended, Shree Yan. It's still here, and so are you. That's where we start."
Her words, simple as they were, resonated with him. It wasn't about erasing the past. It was about moving forward, building something new from the ashes of the old. And maybe, just maybe, there was still hope for him, for the world, and for the people he had once abandoned.
As night fell, the stars appeared above them, a vast expanse of light in the dark sky. For the first time in years, Shree Yan didn't feel alone under that sky. He was not immortal, nor was he invincible. He was human, as flawed and broken as the world around him. But he was alive, and that, in itself, was a gift.
The road ahead was uncertain, but Shree Yan walked it with purpose. With Shidhara by his side, he knew that no matter how dark the path became, he would not walk it alone. The world, though shattered, was still there, waiting to be rebuilt. And so was he.
Together, they would face whatever came next.
For the first time in a long time, Shree Yan felt the stirrings of something he had long forgotten—hope.