The salty wind picked up gently off the ocean, carrying the fresh smell of salt and wet sand. Small waves rolled in, fizzing white at the edges before sliding back out. The black tear in the sky had finally zipped itself shut, leaving nothing but clear blue above. No more monsters. No more screams. Just quiet.
Alpha, Beta, Gamma, Delta, Epsilon, Zeta, and Eta stood together in a loose line at the water's edge. Their hair danced in the breeze—pink, silver, black, red, purple, white, and dark brown strands floating and settling again. Some of them still had faint glows around their hands or weapons, but those were fading fast. They looked tired, but proud. Sand stuck to their clothes and skin in places, mixed with monster blood that was already drying dark.
"Hahaha… as expected from my Shadow Mystics." I said, pushing myself up from the flat rock I'd been sitting on, knees cracking a little from how long I'd been still. A tired laugh came out of me—real and warm.
