Kai woke to birdsong.
Real birdsong.
He blinked up at a blue sky, clear for the first time since the war began. Soft grass cushioned his body, and sunlight warmed his bruised face.
Ayaka sat nearby, sharpening her blade. Ren was asleep with a stick of jerky half-chewed in his mouth.
Kai sat up slowly.
"How long?"
"Three days," Ayaka replied without looking. "You nearly burned yourself out."
He smiled weakly. "That sounds about right."
She finally turned to him. "You ended it, Kai. The Sovereign is gone."
---
Around the world…
The lands began to bloom again. Corrupted waters cleared. Broken sects reformed. The ancient roots reconnected to the flow of life.
But something had shifted.
The world had changed.
And so had its people.
The name Kai Ashiren became legend.
---
Later that night…
A small fire crackled as the trio sat in silence.
Ren finally broke it. "So... what now?"
Kai stared into the flames. "There's something still out there. I felt it, before I passed out."
Ayaka nodded. "You're not wrong. Balance is returning, but darkness doesn't die. It hides."
Kai stood.
Then turned, holding out a hand to both of them.
> "Then we find it. Together."
Ayaka grinned. Ren groaned.
And the three of them walked forward, into the unknown—
As the first embers of a new story began to burn.