The day after the Hollow's defeat, Ashborne celebrated with a fervor that bordered on religious ecstasy. The streets overflowed with people dancing, singing, shouting—making as much noise as humanly possible, as if the sheer volume of their joy could push back any lingering traces of the terrible silence that had nearly consumed them. Musicians played on every corner, children shrieked with laughter, vendors hawked their wares at the top of their lungs, and the entire city seemed determined to prove that life and sound had triumphed absolutely.
But Dante did not celebrate.
