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Chapter 51 - Echoes After The Storm

Episode 51 – Echoes After the Storm

The world was still again.

Shadowbound High resumed like nothing had happened—but for Kael and his friends, everything had changed.

The school had been rebuilt. Students roamed the corridors, laughter echoing in the air. A banner read:

"Welcome Back, Survivors."

It was cheesy. It was warm. And for the first time in a long while—it was safe.

---

Kael sat under the old tree behind the school, Velmorth'Rael buried in the earth beside him. It no longer pulsed with danger—it now hummed gently, as though sleeping. He watched the wind rustle the leaves, golden sunlight filtering through the branches.

Lana walked up, holding two ice cream cones.

"You still brooding?"

Kael blinked and smirked. "No. Just… feeling."

She handed him one. "Chocolate. No nuts. You're welcome."

"You remembered."

"I remember a lot of things," she said, sitting beside him and resting her head on his shoulder. "Like how you turned into a blinding demigod-wolf and scared the living hell out of an ancient demon."

Kael chuckled, finally tasting the peace.

---

Meanwhile… in the cafeteria

Tunde had his arms spread dramatically as he retold the battle in exaggerated fashion to a group of students.

"And I was like—boom! Pow! Demon goes flying, Rhea's blasting people left and right, and I'm standing there like the true MVP!"

Rhea, walking past with her tray, rolled her eyes. "MVP of being knocked out in the first five minutes."

The crowd laughed. Tunde gasped. "You wound me, woman."

"Good. You deserve it."

But even as she walked off, she glanced back—and smiled.

---

Felix stood on the rooftop, looking down at the courtyard. He clutched the now-dormant relic passed down from his family. Though the gate was closed, the energy within it still beat faintly.

He wasn't done being useful. He'd train, learn, grow.

The world would need them again someday.

---

Later that night…

Kael, Lana, Rhea, Tunde, and Felix met at their usual rooftop spot. Blankets. Snacks. A soft playlist coming from Tunde's phone.

No monsters. No gods. Just friends.

"So," Lana said, stretching out beside Kael, "what now?"

"Now?" Kael whispered, gazing at the stars.

"We live."

---

Somewhere far away…

In the shadows of a hidden library, a cloaked figure flips through an ancient book bound in black leather.

It glows faintly.

On the final page: "The seal is temporary. The light always fades… and the Dark remembers."

The figure smiles. "Soon."

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