The End of a Battle

**Angel**

The battle that had consumed the forest and the souls of everyone around finally began to subside. The sound of growls and cries of pain that had dominated the air started to dissipate, replaced by a silence heavy with uncertainty. The scent of blood still lingered, and the forest was filled with wounded and fallen bodies, both friends and foes.

I stood next to Dimitri, my heart pounding uncontrollably as I looked at the devastating scene before us. Lucian had been contained, surrounded by our strongest warriors, but the tension still hung in the air. Dimitri stood with an imposing stance, his gaze fixed on Lucian, as if ready to finish what had been started.

“What are you waiting for?” Lucian growled, his voice full of venom, even weakened and surrounded. "Just get it over with, Dimitri."

Dimitri didn’t respond immediately. He observed him, his gaze steady, but there was something more there—a mixture of exhaustion, pain, and a silent recognition of what needed to be done. “This ends here, Lucian,” he finally said, his voice low but loaded with authority. “You have brought pain and destruction to all of us for too long.”

Lucian laughed, a dry and bitter sound that seemed to echo in the clearing. “You think you can just kill me, and everything will be fine? That your pack will forget what happened? That you will forget?”

Dimitri took a step forward, his eyes never leaving Lucian. “The pain you caused will never be forgotten,” he said calmly. “But your death will be the first step to our recovery.”

The wolves around were silent, all holding their breath, awaiting Dimitri’s decision. I could feel the weight of the moment, as if the entire forest had stopped, watching and waiting. Even though I had my own doubts, I knew this needed to end now. Lucian had proven himself to be a relentless enemy, and letting him live would only bring more suffering.

“You’re no different from me, Dimitri,” Lucian continued, trying to provoke a reaction. "You also kill to protect what is yours. We are two sides of the same coin."

“That’s the difference between us, Lucian,” Dimitri replied, his voice firm and without hesitation. “I don’t kill for pleasure. I kill to protect mine.”

Before Lucian could respond, Dimitri advanced, his movement swift as lightning. He grabbed Lucian by the throat, forcing him to his knees on the ground. Shock flashed in Lucian’s eyes, followed by real fear, perhaps for the first time. Dimitri looked directly into Lucian’s eyes, unwavering, and spoke with a deadly calm: "This is for everything you’ve done."

And, with a swift and decisive movement, Dimitri broke Lucian’s neck.

The sound was brief, but it seemed to resonate in the clearing for an eternity. Lucian fell to the ground, lifeless, his eyes still open in an expression of surprise and terror. The weight of his actions had finally met its final answer.

For a moment, no one moved. The shock of what had just happened was on everyone’s faces around us. Then, slowly, a heavy silence descended upon us, as if everyone was processing the end of something that seemed endless.

Dimitri stood there, motionless, breathing heavily, his face marked by battle and pain. I could see in his eyes the weight of what he had just done—not a triumphant victory, but a bitter necessity. He knew there was no other way, but that didn’t make the decision any easier to bear.

I approached him, placing my hand on his arm, feeling his tension and exhaustion. “You did what you had to do,” I said softly, hoping my words could offer some comfort.

Dimitri looked at me, his eyes tired and filled with conflicting emotions. “I hope so,” he murmured, his voice almost a whisper. “But the weight of this... never goes away.”

Leonardo, beside us, took a step forward, breaking the silence. “We need to take care of our wounded and start clearing this field. There is still much to be done.”

Dimitri nodded, regaining some of his composure. “Let’s focus on our own now. The war is over, but the real battle to rebuild begins now.”

As the warriors moved to tend to the wounded and the fallen, I looked at Lucian’s lifeless body on the ground. For so long, he had been a shadow hanging over our lives, a constant threat. Now, he was just a body, his malice finally ended.

The battlefield was covered in scars, both on the ground and in the souls of those who fought. But there was a new feeling growing, a sense of hope mixed with pain. We knew the road ahead would be difficult, but we also knew that, together, we could overcome anything.

As the sun began to rise over the clearing, casting a soft light over the survivors, I felt a small spark of optimism. We were alive, and that meant we could start again.