Chapter 32: Chapter 32 – The First Step
The wind whispered through the vast plains as Kael and Lyra walked forward, their steps uncertain but steady. The sky stretched infinitely above them, twin suns casting a golden glow over a world untouched by fate. There were no ancient prophecies, no cosmic forces watching from the shadows.
For the first time in lifetimes, Kael was free.
But freedom came with a question: What now?
Lyra walked beside him in silence, her expression unreadable. She had spent years guiding him, warning him of the future that had once been set in stone. Now, without a predestined path, even she seemed uncertain.
"We don't know what's out there," she finally said. "This world is… new. Untouched. We could be the only ones here."
Kael glanced at her. "Then we find out."
They climbed a small hill, and as they reached the top, they saw it a city in the distance.
It wasn't like the towering kingdoms of Kael's past life, nor the celestial fortresses of his battle against Sylas. It was something different. Something human.
Smoke curled from chimneys. The scent of fresh bread drifted in the air. People moved between stone houses, dressed in simple but well-crafted clothes. Farmers worked in the fields beyond the walls, their laughter carrying in the breeze.
It was… peaceful.
Kael felt an unfamiliar tightness in his chest. This was what he had fought for. A world where power did not dictate fate. A world where people could simply live.
Lyra watched him closely. "Do you think they remember?"
Kael shook his head. "No. They're free from all of it. The war. The Well. The gods." He exhaled. "They don't need to remember."
Lyra smiled faintly. "And yet… we do."
They stood there for a moment longer, two souls who had seen the end of everything and the birth of something new. They were no longer warriors bound by destiny. No longer pawns in a battle of gods.
They were just Kael and Lyra.
And as they stepped toward the city, Kael knew this was only the beginning.