For a moment, there was only silence.
Queen Gorgon's twisted body slumped to the cracked stone below, still burning from within.
The divine energy she once wielded drained into the earth like spilled ink, fading into ash.
Her monstrous wings curled inward and withered to nothing. The final vestiges of her curse evaporated into thin air.
And then—
A roar of cheers erupted across the battlefield.
Soldiers shouted. Clerics fell to their knees in stunned relief. The people of Callex—those who had remained behind stone walls praying for a miracle—now stood at the shattered gates and wept.
The nightmare was over.
Nova stood back as it all unfolded. He sheathed his blade, still glowing faintly with the core's echo, and let the waves of noise wash over him. He didn't smile. He didn't even blink.
The job was done. That was all.
Queen Eleysa stepped forward, raising her blade high with trembling hands.
"The curse is broken! And Callex still stands!"
She cried.
