For the first time in years—
the world was quiet.
No sirens echoed across Dominion cities.
No manifestation alarms shook military sectors awake in the middle of the night.
No corrupted skies darkened the horizon.
The war was over.
The Entity had fallen.
Its army had vanished.
The endless nightmare humanity fought against for decades had finally come to an end beneath the light of Kaien Veyr's final strike.
But victory came with a price.
It always did.
The moment the Entity disappeared, Kaien remained standing only briefly.
Just a few seconds.
The divine radiance surrounding Kavach and Kundala slowly faded while Vijaya's overwhelming resonance dimmed back into silence. The unbearable pressure dominating the battlefield vanished gradually afterward leaving only exhaustion behind.
Then Kaien collapsed.
Completely unconscious.
Nyra reached him first.
She still remembered the fear that shot through her chest when his body fell into her arms without resistance.
For one horrifying moment—
she thought he had died.
But he was breathing.
Barely.
The toll of the war had finally reached him.
Years of fighting.
Years of carrying humanity's survival alone.
Years of using powers no mortal body was meant to endure repeatedly.
And during the final battle—
he had pushed beyond all limits entirely.
Even Kavach and Kundala couldn't erase that burden immediately.
So Kaien Veyr slept.
For seven days straight.
When he finally opened his eyes again—
warm sunlight greeted him first.
Soft.
Gentle.
Not the blazing destructive sunlight of war.
Real sunlight.
Peaceful sunlight passing through a bedroom window.
Kaien blinked slowly afterward while his vision adjusted gradually.
The ceiling above him looked familiar.
Wooden panels.
Simple lights.
A faint scent of tea lingering somewhere nearby.
Home.
His body still felt heavy.
Not injured exactly.
Just…drained.
As if every muscle within him had finally realized the war was over and stopped forcing itself forward through sheer willpower alone.
Kaien slowly turned his head afterward.
And immediately froze slightly.
Nyra and Lyss were asleep beside him.
Nyra rested against the side of the bed with one hand still lightly holding onto his arm even while sleeping. Her silver hair fell messily around her face while exhaustion remained clearly visible beneath her eyes.
Lyss sat closer near the window, leaning against the chair beside the bed while sleeping quietly with her arms folded loosely.
Both of them looked exhausted.
Kaien stared silently for several moments afterward.
Then something inside him softened slightly.
The war really had ended.
Because for the first time in years—
they were sleeping peacefully.
No weapons nearby.
No emergency alerts.
No fear of sudden attacks.
Just silence.
Normal silence.
Kaien tried moving slightly afterward.
The bed creaked softly.
Nyra's eyes opened immediately.
For a brief second she looked confused.
Then realization hit her instantly.
"Kaien?"
Lyss woke up immediately afterward too.
Both of them stared at him silently for one long moment before relief visibly overwhelmed their expressions.
"You're awake…"
Nyra's voice almost broke slightly near the end.
Kaien gave a faint tired smile afterward.
"…How long?"
"A week."
Lyss answered immediately while standing up quickly.
"You've been unconscious for an entire week."
Kaien blinked slowly afterward.
"…A week?"
Nyra nodded immediately.
"You scared everyone half to death."
Her voice sounded calmer now but Kaien could still hear the lingering fear underneath it.
He glanced between both of them afterward before quietly asking,
"What happened after?"
The room became silent briefly.
Then Lyss slowly sat beside him afterward.
"The war ended exactly after you defeated the Entity."
Kaien remained silent listening.
"The manifestations disappeared almost immediately."
"Not retreated," Nyra added softly. "Gone completely."
Kaien slowly looked toward the sunlight outside afterward.
So it was truly over.
Completely over.
Lyss continued quietly afterward.
"The battlefield was chaos afterward though."
Her expression dimmed slightly.
"There were too many injured…too many dead…"
Kaien closed his eyes briefly.
Even victory couldn't erase that reality.
War always left graves behind.
Nyra squeezed his hand lightly afterward before continuing.
"The council declared the war officially over three days ago."
"Dominion cities started reopening already."
"People are celebrating everywhere."
A faint smile appeared on her face afterward.
"You should've seen it."
Kaien looked toward her quietly.
"For the first time since we were children…people were smiling without fear."
That sentence hit harder than expected.
Because Kaien realized something then.
An entire generation had grown up knowing only war.
Children learned combat before they learned normal education.
Cities were built like fortresses.
Every family lost someone eventually.
That had been their reality for decades.
And now suddenly—
it was gone.
Kaien slowly pushed himself upright afterward despite the heaviness still lingering throughout his body.
Nyra immediately tried stopping him.
"You still need rest."
"I've rested enough."
His voice sounded rough from disuse but calmer than usual.
Lyss sighed softly afterward.
"You really haven't changed through any lifetime."
That earned the faintest smile from him.
Barely visible.
But real.
Then Kaien noticed something else.
The house sounded crowded.
Voices echoed faintly outside the room.
Footsteps too.
He slowly looked toward the door afterward.
"…Who's outside?"
Nyra and Lyss exchanged brief looks immediately.
Then Lyss answered,
"Everyone."
Kaien blinked once.
"…Everyone?"
Nyra nodded with a small laugh.
"They refused to leave."
"Your parents are outside."
"So is Elias."
"Orion too."
"The council members keep coming every few hours."
Kaien rubbed his forehead tiredly afterward.
"…That sounds exhausting."
"It is."
Nyra answered immediately.
"But nobody cared."
Her expression softened afterward.
"You saved humanity, Kaien."
The room fell quiet briefly afterward.
Because none of them fully knew how to react to that truth yet.
Not even Kaien himself.
After a few moments Kaien quietly asked,
"…What about the funeral?"
Nyra's expression dimmed slightly.
Lyss lowered her gaze briefly afterward.
"We held it two days ago."
Kaien remained silent.
"There were too many names…"
Nyra's voice softened further afterward.
"The memorial lasted hours."
Kaien could imagine it clearly.
Rows upon rows of soldiers.
Families mourning together.
Names endlessly engraved into history after humanity's final war.
The victory had saved the world.
But thousands still paid the price for it.
Kaien lowered his eyes briefly afterward.
"…I should've been there."
"You couldn't even wake up."
Lyss answered gently.
"And honestly…"
She looked toward him carefully afterward.
"…most people were just thankful you survived."
Kaien didn't answer immediately.
Because deep down—
he knew how close it truly was.
If Kavach and Kundala hadn't returned at that exact moment…
The war would have ended very differently.
A knock suddenly came from outside the room afterward.
Before anyone answered, Elias's voice echoed through the door.
"Is he awake?"
Nyra laughed softly immediately.
"You were literally standing outside waiting, weren't you?"
"…Maybe."
Kaien couldn't help letting out a small tired breath afterward that almost sounded like a laugh.
Normal conversations.
Simple moments like this.
He hadn't realized how much he missed them.
Lyss walked toward the door afterward before pausing briefly beside Kaien.
"You ready?"
Kaien looked toward the sunlight outside one more time afterward.
The world beyond the window no longer burned.
No manifestations filled the horizon.
No corrupted skies darkened the earth.
Just peaceful blue skies stretching endlessly above the city.
For the first time in countless lives—
there was no immediate battle waiting for him outside.
Kaien slowly exhaled afterward.
Then nodded.
"…Yeah."