Chapter 141 - Aftermath and Reconciliations

The carriage swayed gently as we made our way back to Lockwood. Through the window, I watched Raven's Peak grow smaller in the distance, its once imposing silhouette now crumbling like a sandcastle against the tide. With each mile we traveled, I felt lighter, as if the very air around us had been cleansed of a centuries-old stain.

"It's truly falling," I whispered, more to myself than to my companions.

Alaric, seated beside me, followed my gaze. "The magic that sustained it is gone. Nature is reclaiming what was taken."

Across from us, my mother sat wrapped in blankets, her frail form a stark reminder of her years of captivity. Yet her eyes were clear now, alert and present in a way I had forgotten they could be. She reached across the space between us and touched my hand.

"I never thought I would leave that place," she said, her voice still hoarse from disuse. "Never thought I'd see you again, Isabella."