With the immediate threat gone, life in Dawnspire settled into a new rhythm. It became a university, a hospital, a sanctuary in the true sense. Vaktari and the Living Stone were at its heart, teaching the awakened Vakhas how to control their gifts, how to listen to the planet's song.
Elara became the head of the Echo-Net, now a legitimate planetary communication and cultural exchange network.
Lyra,with her loyal Stonewardens, became the commanders of the Concordat Peacekeepers, a multi-species force to police the new laws (starting with the anti-slavery mandate).
Makosra was the elder stateswoman,her wisdom guiding the new Vakhas settlements.
Sukodar grew stronger, his spark now a steady flame. He spent his days learning from his brother and from Vaktari, and his nights sitting with the comatose Kaelen, talking to him, telling him stories of the new world being built, as if he could hear.
And Skodar? He walked the mountain paths alone often. The void in Malakor's eyes had left a shadow in his own soul. He was a hero, a liberator, a king in all but name. But he felt unmoored. He had achieved his revenge, saved his family, freed his people. What was a weapon when the war was over?
One evening, Vaktari found him at the cliff's edge, watching the three moons rise.
"You miss the fight,"she said softly.
"I miss the purpose,"he admitted.
"The purpose has changed.It is no longer to destroy, but to build. That is a harder, longer war. It requires a different kind of strength." She floated beside him. "Malakor was not the only architect of pain in this galaxy. The empire is wounded, not dead. And there are other worlds, other slaves, other silent canyons."
She placed a spectral hand over his heart, where the scars were thickest. "You are a bridge, Skodar. Between past and future. Between chaos and order. Between this world and the stars. Your fight is not over. It has simply expanded."
He looked at her, at the ancient love and sorrow in her eyes, and finally understood. His journey had begun to save his brother. It had grown to save his people. Now, it was about something bigger.
He was no longer just Skodar Vakhas of Mohsi Village.
He was a symbol.
And symbols have responsibilities.