Chapter 200 - A Burying and Rising from the Dead

The ash and dust that hung heavy in the air were mixed with a gray haze as the sun sank low over the barren battlefield of Arcanis. In a world that had now become bleak and black, the sound of soldiers' feeble, dying breaths filled the silence, a chorus of misery. The royal family was the only person the Centaurs had spared on the battlefield, as their strong hooves crushed any remaining opposition. With a pounding chest, Cyrus walked over to Aryana. Despite the destruction all around them, his eyes were gentle as he reverently raised her into his arms, "The way has been won, my queen” he whispered, pride lacing his words. As she leaned toward him and traced his cheek with her fingers, Aryana's expression relaxed and her lips curled. For the first time, they laughed together, a happy sound that was strange in the ruins. She was bonded to Cyrus by marriage, love, and a bond formed in war; he was her real family. They had committed themselves to one another as partners, obligated