The final scream of the Ash Lord still echoed throughout the castle, as the ash fell like snow. This time, however, it didn't carry the cold and darkness, but rather disappeared as soon as it hit the ground, leaving behind black stones that began to crack.
Eren and Leylin stood in the center of the hall, the wind whirring gently around them, carrying the remnants of ash upwards. Leylin's fire burned with a gentle flicker, illuminating the shadows that were slowly fading away.
Rhain and Sera approached, breathing a sigh of relief, as Sera's green spells began to illuminate the cracked earth, bringing some life back to the castle's stones.
Eren raised his head toward the ceiling, saying, "It's over... Shadows no longer rule this land."
With those words, the black walls of the castle began to shake, and huge cracks appeared, from which solid cinders fell. The wind seeped in, stirring the dust and carrying the remnants of the ash into the sky.
"I felt it," Lilin said, reaching toward the flame in her hand. "The first fire wasn't evil, but it was imprisoned by the Ash Lord. Now… it's free."
The ground shook violently, and a column of light appeared in the center of the hall, tearing through the remaining darkness and rising into the sky, scattering the remnants of shadows far away, as if carried by the wind to their final end.
"Look," Rayne said, smiling. "Even the sky began to change."
Outside, the black clouds began to recede, and a wide hole opened in the sky. For the first time in years, sunlight filtered through, illuminating the ash on the ground, which turned to fine dust. The smell of death gradually faded from the air.
The toppled towers began to crumble, falling to the ground in swirling clouds of dust, while the entire castle disintegrated. With each fall, more light filtered in, casting shadows from every corner.
Eren took Lilin's hand and said in a low voice, "We've done it... This world has a chance to start over."
Lilin replied with a smile filled with exhaustion and hope, "And we will be the ones to protect that light."
The last of the black towers fell, and the entire castle collapsed, leaving only a vast expanse of dust and soft ash, punctuated by small cracks from which green plants slowly began to grow, heralding the beginning of life in the land of ash.
The four of them stood watching the sky begin to clear, the wind carrying a new scent they hadn't smelled in a long time, the scent of rain coming to wash away all the ash. Under the brightening sky, their hearts turned to the future.
Sera looked away, saying, "The shadows have fallen, but the work is not yet done. There are cities in need of help, and souls in need of light."
Rain replied, placing his hand on Eren's shoulder:
The world will need the winds... and the fire, too.
Eren nodded, looking at Leylin, and said:
We will go with the winds... and we will carry the fire with us.
At that moment, a cool breeze blew across the liberated land, carrying the last ashes away, while Leylin's fire glowed, becoming a warmth, not a burning one, and Eren's winds became a breeze of hope, not a storm of destruction.
This was the day the shadows fell, and the dawn of hope began.