The graveyard was quiet.
No wind. No breath. Just the fading hum of broken magic and blood sinking into the soil.
Elise's remains no longer pulsed. They didn't reform. There was no twitching. No threat. Only a mass of blackened sludge and warped bones, already beginning to dissolve into nothing.
The Demon of Companionship was gone.
Adam pulled his dagger free with a slow, practiced motion. Slime clung to the blade, but with a flick of his wrist, the blade was freed from the residue and returned to its spotless condition. He stood there for a moment longer, as if waiting to see if some final trick would emerge. But there was nothing.
Just silence.
He turned around.
Lily had collapsed to her knees, rifle resting across her lap, her hands limp. She stared at the ground, her tears falling without sound. Aria was beside her, kneeling, gently rubbing her back but saying nothing. What words could she even offer?
