Page 67 of Valley of Destiny

“Boring and normal,” I repeated. “Six months ago, those words would have terrified me.”

“And now?”

“Now they sound exactly right.” I stretched up to kiss him.

His marks flared bright, and his smile was radiant. “Yes, they do.”

The following day, we said our goodbyes—promises to visit again soon, reminders about the upcoming trip toDestra, warnings from Zara about working too hard. Maya hugged me tight, Jesi pulled at one of my curls with a shriek of laughter.

“I’m glad you found this,” she whispered. “You deserve to be happy.”

“So do you,” I whispered back. “Thank you. For everything. For being my friend. For coming to rescue me. For helping me figure out what I actually wanted.”

“Anytime.” She pulled back with a smile. “Now go home. Your valley is waiting.”

A few nights later, as our shuttle approached Destra’s atmosphere, I watched the planet come into view. From space, you could see both the scarred lands where weather towers had stood and the green patches where restoration was taking hold. The valley was a bright spot in the mountains, lush and alive and beautiful.

Home.

I reached for Rezor’s hand, lacing our fingers together. His marks glowed warm against my skin.

“Ready?” he asked.

“Ready,” I said. “Let’s go home.”

And we did.Together. Exactly as it should be.