The sky was a veil of silver.
Moonlight spilled like silk over the Moonstone Sanctuary, brushing the wounded earth with a gentle glow. The air was hushed—not with tension, but with reverence. For once, the world seemed to exhale, if only for a heartbeat.
Aria stood alone beneath the shattered arch of the sanctuary's eastern wall, her spirit humming with exhaustion and wonder. She was alive. The war was not yet over, but it had been won—for now.
But survival felt hollow without the ones who made it worth fighting for.
Footsteps approached behind her, light but familiar. She didn't need to turn to know who it was.
"You should be resting," she murmured, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.
Caleb stopped beside her, his presence grounding her like roots in the soil. "I could say the same to you."
Aria looked up at the moon, the pale light catching the golden strands of her hair. "I needed the quiet."
He nodded. "So did I. But not alone."
