After the Fall [END?]

The city outside Elias's office window was quiet. The chaos had ended, the storm finally passing. But Elias knew that even in the calm, there was still something stirring beneath the surface. Vale was gone, but the repercussions of everything that had happened were still very much alive.

Elias leaned back in his chair, staring at the map spread out in front of him. The red circles marking the various points of Vale's operation were now just remnants of a war that had been won. Or so it seemed. In the back of his mind, though, the question lingered: What now?

Cassandra stood near the desk, her arms crossed, her eyes studying the same map. Her face was unreadable, but Elias could see the tension in the way she held herself. Despite everything, despite their victory, something had shifted between them.

"I thought it would feel different," Elias said quietly, breaking the silence.

Cassandra didn't look at him. Her gaze remained fixed on the map, but her voice was soft when she spoke. "What did you expect?"

Elias sighed, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't know. Maybe... peace? Closure?"

She scoffed lightly. "There's no such thing as peace, Elias. Not for people like us."

Elias didn't respond, but he could feel the weight of her words. They'd fought so long, bled so much, and in the end, what had they gained? Nothing but the scars. Nothing but more questions.

"Vale is gone," she said, turning toward him now, her expression serious. "But we're still here. The world still turns. And we've still got work to do."

Elias's eyes met hers, and for the first time, there was no plan, no mission, no next move. It was just the two of them, standing in the aftermath of everything they'd been through. No more enemies to fight. No more secrets to uncover.

He stood up from his desk, pushing the chair back with a sharp scrape. He walked toward her, every step feeling heavier than the last.

"You're right," he said quietly. "We're still here. But I don't know what comes next."

Cassandra studied him for a moment, her eyes narrowing as if searching for something he wasn't willing to give. Finally, she stepped forward, her hand brushing his as she moved past him to the door.

"You'll figure it out," she said. "We always do."

Elias watched her leave, his mind racing with thoughts of the future. For the first time, he realized he wasn't sure where it was leading. He had spent so long in the fight, so long focused on the goal, that he never considered what would happen when the dust settled.

But now, with Vale dead and the city quiet, he was left to face the consequences of everything they'd done—and everything they'd lost.

His eyes drifted back to the window, to the city that had always been a battleground. But now, it was just a city. One that had been forever changed.

And as he stood there, staring out into the night, he felt something he hadn't allowed himself to feel in a long time: hope. The kind of hope that came with a new beginning.

But what would be that beginning.....

It has been a pleasure writing this piece although not many will read it up to this point I am at least grateful to webnovel for allowing me post this jumbled up mess on this platform, Goodbye :)