THREE DAYS LATER - THE CAPITAL - DAWN
I couldn't sleep.
I stood on the balcony of what used to be Theodore's palace—now the temporary headquarters for the new provisional government—watching the sun rise over a city I barely recognized.
Three days since Sera became... whatever she was now.
Three days since the crown shattered.
Three days since everything CHANGED.
The capital looked DIFFERENT. Not just the obvious changes—buildings repaired, fires extinguished, corruption exposed. But something DEEPER. Fundamental.
The air itself felt LIGHTER. Like a weight had been lifted. A pressure released.
Reality rewriting itself. Sera's final gift.
I touched the balcony railing. Felt the cold stone under my fingers. REAL. Solid. PERMANENT.
No loop waiting. No reset trigger. If I died now, I'd just... die. No second chances.
It should have been terrifying.
Instead it felt like FREEDOM.
"You're up early."
