CHAPTER 167

The morning after the council showdown dawned with a strange sense of calm, as if the city itself had exhaled a sigh of relief. Phillip stood at the window of his apartment, watching the first rays of sunlight bathe the skyline. He should have felt victorious, but a hollow ache settled in his chest. The battle was over, but the wounds it left behind were still raw.

Jessica entered the room, a steaming mug of coffee in hand. She set it down on the table beside Phillip and gave him a knowing look. "You’re thinking about last night, aren’t you?"

Phillip turned to her, his expression pensive. "Yeah. It’s hard to shake the feeling that even though we won, we lost something too." He took the mug, wrapping his hands around its warmth, more for comfort than the caffeine.

Jessica nodded, her gaze drifting to the window. "It’s the cost of doing what we do, Phillip. We stop the monsters, but sometimes the battle leaves us more scarred than the ones we fought against."

"I know," he said, his voic