The village café was almost empty at that hour. The aroma of freshly baked bread mingled with that of strong coffee, and the wooden tables creaked under the weight of simple dishes: scrambled eggs, bread and butter, a bit of homemade jam.
No one spoke at first, but it wasn't an awkward silence. We were all digesting the fact that it was all over, that we were alive, and that we were finally free.
Outside, the Alps were beginning to light up with a soft, golden sunrise that seemed to erase the shadows of the previous night.
"I can't believe it's all over," I said. "I don't think I'm going to miss it or celebrate it."
Ivy smiled slightly, though her eyes were more thoughtful. "Maybe a little of both. But… we survived. That's what matters. The chalice wasn't what we thought… I guess that was the lesson."
"We survived and defeated a demented old man with a giant candy cane," Rex added with a dry laugh, the first he'd given since the beginning of our ill-fated summer vacation. "I don't think anyone will ever tell that story at their Christmas dinners."
"I hope they never have to," June interrupted, her brown hair swaying in the morning wind. "That's enough for us."
Clare, who had remained silent until then, looked up. Her eyes seemed to regain a sparkle we'd never seen before. "Thanks for letting me stay… I don't know if I'll ever stop being a seeker. But maybe… I can be something more. Something better."
I raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Well, as long as they don't try to steal another map from us in the middle of the night, I think we can call you a friend."
Rex raised his cup in an impromptu toast. "To survive. And to whatever comes next." We all clinked cups, the faint sound of porcelain filling the air. Outside, the sun had just peeked behind the mountains, painting the sky in shades of orange and pink.
"To have a better summer vacation." For a moment, they all stared at us in silence. The labyrinth was just a memory, but one that had marked them forever. And although they knew that sooner or later each of us would go our separate ways, in that moment, beneath that sunrise, we were still a group.
A group that had won or failed.
"Do you guys ever think… we might not see each other again after this year?" Ivy asked.
"Of course not," Rex said. "We'll always see each other."
"We'll always have the summer to bring us together," Clare concluded.
Perhaps the world would never know what had happened within those impossible walls. Perhaps no one would remember the battles, the sacrifices, the secrets discovered. But we would. And that was enough.
Upon reaching the village, a new day began. And with it, a new life.
The chalice was broken, but we were free.
The end.