The spell had drained me more than I expected. My limbs felt heavy, mana hollowed from within like a well run dry. But I knew what I was getting into—this was ancient magic, forbidden, meant to unravel the unnatural. Now it was done. We had defeated Ophelia and Lilith.
And yet… the silence afterward wasn't victory. Not really. It was the heavy quiet of guilt settling over my shoulders like ash. Even if they had been puppets, it didn't change the truth—we had destroyed them.
I could feel the weight of it in Kieran too, though he said nothing. He didn't need to. We had already promised to share this burden, to bleed through it together.
"Are you okay?" he asked gently, brushing my blood-streaked cheek with his knuckles.
I nodded slowly. "Can I ask you for a favor?"
His expression softened. "You can ask me anything. There are no favors between us."
"Can you check the situation outside? See if the fighting's over. If it is, regroup everyone at the palace. I'll finish things here."
