บท 1469: Chapter 1469: The Price of Victory

The sun hung low over the horizon, its golden light filtering through the stillness of the forest. The air, once thick with the presence of the True Shadow, had cleared, but a strange emptiness lingered. It was as though something vital had been torn from the world and, in its absence, the land had fallen silent. Elara stood in the heart of the clearing, the Codex still warm in her hands, its power finally extinguished.

Her breathing was shallow, labored from the energy she had expended in the battle, but her heart beat slowly, as though the rhythm of life itself had been stilled. The world around her seemed muted, the colors less vibrant, as if they too were mourning the price that had been paid.