Chapter 26 Embers Of Destiny

The first light of dawn crept across the ruined spires of Thornhold, casting a golden glow over the blackened stone and shattered towers. Smoke drifted lazily through the early morning air, coiling like ghosts among the remnants of what once stood proud. The ground was still warm beneath Selene’s boots, the earth scorched by battle and magic, yet the breeze carried with it a strange sense of calm. Not peace—but the whisper of its possibility. Selene stood at the edge of the cliff that overlooked the valley. The wind tugged at her silver-threaded hair, sending it streaming like a banner behind her. Below, the charred remains of the battlefield stretched far and wide, a patchwork of ash, blood, and broken steel. And beyond it, far on the horizon, the mountains rose in solemn witness to the price of survival.