Chapter 39 The Weight Of Peace

• The battle was over, but the silence that followed felt heavier than war.
• For the first time in months, no howls echoed across the valley at night. No scouts returned bearing bloodied reports. No Hollowed roamed the woods like broken phantoms. Only the rustling trees and the wind carried word of what had passed.
• Ivy sat on a wide stone ledge overlooking the remnants of Ashwood, the ruins still glowing faintly where the old magic had burned through. The air smelled of moss and ash, of beginnings and endings.