They didn't speak right away.
Even as the last of the debris settled and the smoldering ground cooled, no one said anything. Not out of fear or uncertainty, but sheer exhaustion. The kind that sank into your bones and made every breath feel like work.
The monster was gone. That part was clear.
Aestros had disappeared beneath the rubble it left behind, its final words to Jin echoing faintly in his mind like a lingering hum: Come visit when you get the chance.
Now, in the silence that followed, they stood scattered across the ruined city street. Rooftops half-collapsed. Roads split like cracked porcelain. Buildings hollowed out by roots and fire.
It wasn't quiet, how could it be, when the wind still carried the scent of ash and scorched wood? But it was the closest thing they'd had to peace in the last few hours.
Jin sat down on a chunk of broken concrete, elbows on his knees, blade still loosely in one hand.
