The wind was quiet.
Not magical. Not loud.
Just… peaceful.
Kael stood on the edge of the cliff near the ruins of the Temple of Winds.
Below, valleys stretched wide and green. Birds flew free across the skies.
For the first time in weeks, there was no battle, no storm, no fire.
Only silence.
Behind him, Serin approached. She no longer wore her old gray cloak. Now, the wind shard shimmered on a silver chain around her neck.
"You okay?" she asked.
Kael nodded. "I think I'm still trying to believe it's over."
Serin smiled. "It's not over, Kael. It's just changed."
Later, they all gathered by a stone circle overlooking the mountains.
Lira sat cross-legged, deep in thought. Her earth and water shards still glowed gently in her palms.
Corren leaned against a tree, arms crossed. Shadows still curled quietly around him, but he no longer looked cold or distant — just watchful.
Kael looked at them all.
"Five shards," he said. "Five heroes. What now?"
Serin stepped forward. "The Whisper King is gone. But the world is broken.
The shards chose us for a reason — not just to destroy the darkness… but to heal what it left behind."
Lira looked up. "The villages he burned. The people who ran. The places he took."
Kael added, "We fix it."
Just then, a faint light flickered in the sky — a soft golden flame. It floated down gently like a falling star.
Serin caught it in her palm.
"It's a message," she said.
They gathered around.
A voice echoed faintly from the emberlight.
"To the bearers of the shards —I greet you from the south. Trouble stirs in the desert kingdom of Solkara.
Something is awakening beneath the sands."
"We need your help."
The message faded.
Corren's eyes narrowed. "So much for peace."
Kael stood tall.
"Then we ride at sunrise."
And just like that…
A new journey began.