They returned to Lumina as heroes, though Finn hated the word.
The Tide man was exposed, arrested, sentenced to the same prison that had once held Corvus. The Council was purged of Corvus's influence. New protections were put in place. And through it all, Finn trained, growing stronger, preparing for the war to come.
But the war didn't come. Not yet.
Weeks passed. Months. The Void waited, patient as only ancient evil could be. And Finn waited with it, knowing that one day, the darkness would return.
On the last night of the year, Finn sat with his friends on their platform, watching the lights of Lumina sparkle below. His mother sat with them, her hand in his, her silver eyes bright with love.
"What happens now?" Elara asked quietly.
"Now we live." Finn smiled. "We train. We grow. We wait." He looked at the lights below, at the city that had become his home. "And when the darkness comes, we'll be ready."
"And if it doesn't come?" Theo asked.
"Then we'll have lived a good life." Briar's voice was quiet, steady. "That's not nothing."
Finn nodded. "That's everything."
They sat together in the soft light, family by choice as much as by blood, watching the eternal twilight settle over Lumina.
And somewhere in the darkness, beyond the veil, beyond the between, beyond everything, the Void stirred once more.
But for now—for this moment—there was only light.
Only love.
Only home.
End of Book Two: The Shadow on the Mountain