Several hours had passed since the last rift sealed shut and the courtyard fell silent.
The battle was officially over.
The castle no longer shook from impact, and no new distortions tore at its foundations. What remained was aftermath. Sections of the outer walls were still fractured, but the structure stood. Heirs and retainers moved through the corridors clearing debris, stabilizing weakened enchantments, and restoring defensive layers where they had collapsed under pressure.
The wounded were being treated in secured chambers away from public view. Healers worked in silence, prioritizing those who could still be saved while attendants covered the fallen where they lay before transporting them to designated halls. The dead were separated carefully by house and banner, even in exhaustion. No one wished to leave that responsibility unfinished.
Every rift had been sealed.
