SELENA POV

Years later, when people speak of the war, they do so in softened voices.

Not because it has been forgotten—but because it no longer defines us.

I sometimes walk through the capital at dawn, when the streets are quiet and the magic hums low beneath the stones. At this hour, the empire feels honest. No banners. No ceremonies. Just life breathing steadily, the way it was always meant to.

The fountain still stands in the heart of the city, its waters spiraling gently upward, catching ...