The Quiet Days

A New Beginning

For the first time in what felt like eternity, Ethan woke up… in a bed.

Not in a collapsing battlefield.

Not in a realm beyond existence.

Not floating in a void.

Just… a bed.

Sunlight filtered through the curtains, painting golden streaks across the wooden floor. Birds chirped outside—a sound so ordinary, so mundane, that it almost felt surreal.

Ethan blinked, his golden eyes adjusting to the morning light. His body felt weightless, not from battle, but from the unfamiliar sensation of peace.

This was real.

The war was over.

The Rift was gone.

The world was normal.

And yet, despite that certainty, something felt... off.

Ethan sat up, rubbing his forehead. His golden-shadow flames didn't react. They weren't needed. There was no immediate threat, no collapsing universe, no cosmic entities testing his existence.

Then why did he feel like something was missing?