Chapter 92: The Aftermath & Unfinished War
The ruins of Nyx stood silent.
The battle was over.
The Calamity-Class Beast lay in a broken heap, its mutated flesh still radiating faint pulses of mana as the last remnants of its energy faded. The ground beneath them was scorched, littered with the shattered remains of mana pods, eerie remnants of Xelthar's experiments.
But the Vanguard stood victorious.
Barely.
Kael exhaled, wiping blood from his cheek. His body ached, muscles screaming in exhaustion, but he refused to fall. Not yet.
Beside him, Lucian Eldoria sheathed his blade, his draconic aura flickering as he steadied himself. "That was more trouble than it was worth."
"You're telling me," Mira Valcroft muttered, rolling her sore shoulder. Her uniform was torn, her hands bloodied, but her grip on her sword was still firm.
Across the battlefield, the rest of the Vanguard gathered, catching their breath after the hellish fight.
Darius, Cassian, and Rael emerged from the wreckage of their Alpha-Class battles, bruised but victorious.
Selene and Evelyne stood near the corpse of the King-Class Beast, their weapons coated in the blood of their fallen opponent.
And standing tall among them—Rheon Veyrin and Magnus Grimthorne.
The moment Kael turned, Rheon's grin stretched wide.
"Well, look at you," he said, cracking his knuckles. "Finally fighting like a real Veyrin."
Kael sighed. "Don't start."
Rheon laughed, stepping forward and grabbing Kael by the head, ruffling his already messy hair. "What? No 'thank you for saving my life, Rheon'? No 'big brother, you're so amazing'?"
Kael grumbled, swatting his hand away. "I was doing fine before you showed up."
Rheon's smirk widened. "Sure you were, kid."
Magnus, standing nearby, grunted as he shouldered his massive war axe. "You kids did well." His golden eyes flickered toward Evelyne, his younger sister. "Better than expected."
Evelyne huffed, crossing her arms. "You sound surprised."
Magnus chuckled. "Not surprised. Just glad you're not dead."
She rolled her eyes but didn't argue.
Nearby, Selene adjusted her gloves, her usual cold demeanor still present, but there was something softer in her gaze as she looked at the team. "We all survived. That's what matters."
Cassian smirked. "And we looked damn good doing it."
Darius rolled his eyes, wiping dirt from his face. "Barely. I think I lost three years of my lifespan in that fight."
Rael, sitting on a broken pillar, tilted his head. "At least we're still alive. Unlike those things."
They all turned toward the remnants of the underground facility.
Xelthar's experiments.
Destroyed.
But… not all of them.
The Unfinished War
Kael's jaw tightened.
The Xelthar agent had left.
And he had done so confidently.
That meant something worse was coming.
Lucian seemed to have the same thought. His golden eyes burned as he stepped forward. "This isn't over."
Mira glanced at him. "I know."
Selene crossed her arms. "That agent wasn't just playing with us. He was here to confirm something. And he left because he got his answer."
Kael exhaled. "They wanted to see how strong we were."
Darius frowned. "And?"
Kael's hands clenched into fists.
"They think we're not strong enough."
Silence settled over them.
Because as much as they hated to admit it—Xelthar was right.
If the enemy had sent something even stronger than the Calamity, would they have survived?
No one wanted to say the answer out loud.
Magnus finally broke the silence. "We'll deal with that when the time comes." His voice was firm, a warrior's certainty. "For now, we finish our mission and get out of here."
Rheon sighed, stretching. "Agreed. I didn't come all this way just to babysit you brats."
Kael shot him a look. "Then leave already."
Rheon laughed.
The tension eased, just slightly.
But the unease remained.
Because even as they stood victorious—
They all knew.
This wasn't the end.
It was only the beginning.
As they made their way toward the extraction point, the Vanguard walked together, bruised but undefeated.
Kael walked at the front, his mind still replaying the battle. The Xelthar agent's words echoed in his mind.
"How do you plan to stop an army of them?"
He clenched his fists.
They needed to get stronger.
Beside him, Mira nudged his arm. "You're thinking too much again."
Kael blinked, glancing at her.
She smirked. "Relax. We survived."
"For now," he muttered.
Mira sighed. "You're impossible."
Selene, walking ahead, added, "But he's not wrong."
Lucian chuckled. "Of course he isn't. But we'll deal with it later. Right now, we're going home."
Home.
Kael took a breath.
Right.
They weren't done yet.
But at least—for now—they had won.