The silence that followed Gideon's death was absolute, as if the world itself needed a moment to process what had just occurred. The Second Calamity—a being whose very existence had threatened the fundamental order of reality—lay motionless on the cracked earth, his divine fire extinguished forever.
Arthur stood over the fallen figure, Luna's arms still wrapped around his neck while the Crown of Twilight pulsed with gentle radiance above his brow. The transformation from desperate battle to sudden victory left an almost surreal quality to the moment, like the eye of a storm where destruction paused to catch its breath.
"It's over," Luna whispered, her golden eyes reflecting both relief and awe as she gazed at the man who had become something unprecedented. "You actually did it, Arthur. You killed a Calamity."
