Episode 34 – After the Storm
The sun rose with a strange calmness. For the first time in what felt like centuries, there was no screaming, no spells cracking the sky, no blood staining the earth. The war was over. The pit had been sealed. The vortex gone. The demons destroyed. And Kael… was alive.
The students of Shadowbound High slowly adjusted back to life—but nothing was the same.
---
[Scene: Shadowbound High – Courtyard]
Kael sat on the edge of a stone fountain, staring at his hands. No glow. No lightning. Just… skin. For once, his power rested. He looked around.
Tunde was trying to juggle glowing apples, but instead, they kept exploding in his face.
"You'd think after saving the world, they'd let us skip classes. But noooo," he grumbled, wiping goo from his cheek.
Felix laughed, tossing a magically floating donut toward Kael. "Still got reflexes, wolf-boy?"
Kael caught it without looking, smirking. "Still better than you."
Lana walked in, her usual dark cloak replaced by a casual hoodie, her hair in a braid. Her eyes met Kael's and softened—like the pain had dulled, but never fully healed.
Rhea trailed behind, looking up from a dusty book. "Do any of you realize we have Ancient Alchemy in ten minutes?"
"Do you realize we fought hellfire demons and lived?" Tunde said, flipping onto a bench. "We deserve ten years of sleep."
"You deserve to pass your exams," she shot back, deadpan.
---
[Scene: Magical Training Field]
To keep themselves sharp, the team trained—though now, it was more of a game than war prep.
Kael and Felix sparred with wooden staffs while Rhea practiced teleportation spells—accidentally blinking herself into a tree once.
Tunde challenged Lana to a "who-can-throw-a-spell-the-furthest" contest. He lost. Badly.
"I swear your power is rigged! You're half-sorceress, half-satellite dish!"
Lana cracked a small, rare smile. "You're just half-wit."
Laughter echoed. Peace wasn't just a setting—it was becoming a feeling.
---
[Scene: Dorm Rooftop – Sunset]
Kael and Lana sat side by side, legs dangling.
"Feels weird, doesn't it?" Lana murmured. "No blood. No chaos. Just... us."
Kael nodded. "It does. But it's nice."
She hesitated, then leaned on his shoulder.
"I still see it sometimes," she said. "The fire. The screams."
"So do I," Kael whispered. "But now, I also see you."
---
[Scene: Shadowbound Cafeteria – That Night]
The school threw a "Welcome Back to Normal" feast. Magic lights floated in the air. Students who once trembled in bunkers now laughed over charmed cupcakes and glowing lemonade.
Professor Greer gave a speech that no one really listened to—but when he raised a toast to "Kael and the team who held the world together," the applause shook the hall.
Felix stood up and yelled, "And to Tunde—for being the funniest survivor in history!"
Tunde grinned, pretending to cry. "Thank you. I'd like to thank my magic pants for never tearing in battle."
Cue laughter. Rhea rolled her eyes but smiled.
---
[Scene: Kael's Dorm – Nightfall]
Kael lay in bed, eyes on the ceiling. He could feel the power still humming inside him—the godhood simmering just beneath the surface. But for now, it was quiet. And that quiet was beautiful.
As he drifted off, he whispered to the darkness:
"Let me have this peace… for a little while."
Outside, the moon glowed peacefully over Shadowbound High.
For the first time… there were no monsters at the gate.