Chapter 190: Aftermath
[Reminder: Novel is still undergoing editation]
The moment Verena stepped into the light beyond the archway, it was like waking up from a fever dream.
No more stone walls shifting like a mad god’s puzzle. No more celestial glyphs pressing down like judgment. Just open air. Blue skies. Grass that smelled like it belonged in a memory. The academy’s central courtyard stretched out before her, familiar yet somehow unreal, like it had been copied from a version of the world where nothing bad had ever happened.
The Trial of Ascendance was over.
There were no trumpets. No dramatic fanfare. No glowing "CONGRATULATIONS" hovering over their heads in golden letters. Just the distant hum of birds, the rustling of leaves—and a heavy, bone-deep silence of people who had seen far too much in far too little time.
Verena staggered forward, every joint aching. Her boots sank slightly into the soft earth. Behind her, Isolde followed with practiced grace, though her face showed more fatigue than she’d ever admit.
Saphira, now uncoiled and back in her usual tiny form, slithered up Verena’s arm and curled lazily around her neck like a living scarf.
"Well," the snake yawned, "that was traumatic. Ten out of ten. Let’s never do it again."
"Agreed," Verena muttered. Her voice cracked. She coughed, then wiped her face. She wasn’t sure if it was sweat or tears. Maybe both.
Around them, other students began emerging—some alone, others in pairs. Not everyone made it back together. Some limped. Some cried openly. Others wore blank, shell-shocked expressions, like they’d seen parts of themselves they wished they could forget.
Then—
"VERENA!"