The Dawn of Something New

The morning after the battle was eerily quiet. The air smelled of smoke and rain, a strange combination of destruction and renewal. The city skyline, once bright and towering, was now scarred—glass shattered, streets cracked, and the echoes of fire still lingering in the atmosphere.

Luca stood at the edge of a rooftop, looking down at the world that had nearly crumbled beneath him. His body still hummed with energy, but it no longer felt foreign. It was his now.

Behind him, Evelyn approached, wrapping her arms around herself against the cool morning air.

"You didn't sleep," she said softly.

Luca smirked, shaking his head. "Didn't feel like it."

"You should rest."

"I don't think I can," he admitted. His mind was too full—of everything that had happened, everything that could still happen. "What if this isn't over?"

Evelyn sighed, stepping beside him. "It isn't over, Luca. But for now, we take a breath. You won. That has to mean something."

Did it?

Winning didn't feel like an ending. It felt like a new beginning, one he wasn't sure he was ready for.

Down below, people were already beginning to rebuild. The city had been shaken but not broken. Life continued, even in the face of chaos. Luca envied that—the ability to just move on.

Julian and Rayna appeared in the doorway, both looking exhausted.

"We've got a problem," Julian announced grimly.

Luca turned. "What kind of problem?"

Rayna tossed a tablet onto the table in the middle of the room. News reports flashed across the screen—headlines screaming about an unknown anomaly, footage of Luca surrounded by fire, the world watching as he became something more in the final moments of battle.

"They saw everything," Rayna said. "And now… they're afraid."

Luca exhaled slowly. Of course they were.

Evelyn placed a hand on his arm. "We'll figure this out."

He looked at her, searching her eyes for the certainty he couldn't find in himself.

But one thing was clear—this wasn't the end of his story.

It was only the beginning.