The coalition had emerged victorious after dismantling the strongholds of Kaelus Ryn, Rath Zorrek, and ander Kharis, but their triumph came at a steep cost. The battles had left deep scars, both on the bodies of the survivors and on the hearts of those who had witheir rades fall. As the dust settled, the time to grieve and reflect arrived.

  Valeris City stood still that m, the bustling markets silenced and the streets quiet in reverence. In the tral square, where the city's heart usually beat with activity, a makeshift memorial had beeed. The somber tones of a Kynaran flute floated through the air, its melody mournful and raw.

  The square acked with coalition members. Meraries, resistance fighters and Federation guards, all standing shoulder to shoulder. Despite their different backgrounds, they were united in their grief. Some wore their battle armor, still scarred from the ret fights, while others held dles that flickered in the gentle breeze.

  The memorial was simple yet poignant. A t stone sb etched with the names of the fallen stood at its ter, surrounded by flickering holograms of those they had lost. Among the names were Ta Ryn, the fearless Resistance Vice-Leader who had sacrificed herself at Zorrek's mines, and others like Leena and Dax, whose bravery had inspired everyone who fought alongside them.

  As the ceremony began, the coalition leaders stepped forward, their faces a mix of grief aermination. A hologram of Joran Kren flickered to life above the crowd, transmitting from the Resistance's desert stronghold.

  "Ta was more than a fighter," Joran began, his voice steady despite the sorrow in his eyes. "She was the heart of our movement, the one who stood tall when the rest of us faltered. Her sacrifice wasn't just for the Resista was for every life on Kynara that the Syndicate seeks to destroy. Let her memory remind us of the price of freedom and the strength we must carry forward."

  The crowd listened in silence, many wiping away tears. Joran's hologram lingered for a moment longer, his face resolute.

  , Darrik Voss, the Guild's branch master, stepped forward. His anding presence filled the square, and his voice carried an air of vi. "We are here because they were willing to stand in the fire. They gave everything so that we could live another day to fight. Remember them, but do not let grief weigh you down. el it. Let their sacrifice ignite a fme in you, a fire that will burn until we finish what we started."

  The meraries in the crowd straightened, fists ched in silent agreement.

  Finally, Captain Alrik Thorne addressed the gathering. Dressed in his Federation uniform, he looked weary but resolute. "The Federation guards stationed here have bled alongside you. We've lost good soldiers, friends, rades. We will not let their deaths be in vain. Together, we will tio push back the Syndicate until their hold on this p is broken. I give you my word."

  His words were met with a murmur of agreement, though the tensioween the Federation forces and the rest of the coalition still lingered in the air.

  As the crowd began to disperse, many staying to y flowers or mementos at the memorial, Ethan found himself standing alone before the t stone sb. His eyes sed the etched names, pausing on Leena and Dax.

  Memories washed over him. Leena's sharp wit as she patched up wounded fighters with her med-synth, Dax's booming ughter after a hard-fought skirmish. Their faces flickered in his mind, so vivid it felt as though they were standing beside him again.

  Ethan ched his fists. "You deserved better," he whispered under his breath.

  The sound of footsteps pulled him from his thoughts. Rourke, Malek, and Kara approached, their expressions a mix of sorrow and warmth.

  "They wouldn't want us bming ourselves, you know," Rourke said, pg a reassuring hand ohan's shoulder. "Dax would've punched you in the arm and cracked a joke to lighten the mood."

  Kara chuckled softly. "And Leena? She'd probably scold you for not taking care of yourself properly."

  Ethan managed a faint smile. "Yeah, that sounds like them."

  The group lingered, sharing stories of the fallen. Moments of levity that lightehe heaviness in their hearts. They ughed softly as they reted Leena's selflessness and Dax's endless optimism, their words a small balm to the wounds left behind.

  Nearby, Zyrix Korran stood in silence. Without a word, the stoiiper stepped forward and pced a medal of honor at the base of the memorial. The gesture, though simple, spoke volumes about his respect for the fallen.

  As the sun dipped below the horizon, casting the square in hues of gold and crimsohan remained by the memorial. The names seemed to glow in the fading light, a reminder of the cost of their fight.

  He thought of the ruins he had explored, the molecur dagger now resting in his ship, and the visions that he saw. The threads of fate seemed to be pulling him toward something iable, a final frontation with Drakor.

  The weight of responsibility pressed heavily on his shoulders, but so did his resolve. "This ends with us," he murmured to himself, his voice firm.

  As the st of the coalition members left the square, a hush fell over Valeris. The city seemed to hold its breath, as if aware that the battles ahead would decide not just its future, but the fate of the entire p.

  Ethan stands alone before the memorial, the names of the falleched into his memory. He turns away, his steps steady, his resolve unshakable. The sacrifices of those they had lost would not be fotten, and their fight was far from over.

  Kynara's final chapter roag, ahan was ready to see it through.