I know I shouldn't be doing this, but I just wanted to get it out there.

This is inspired by my Musings fic, and will deal more in depth with the aftermath of Aloy's victory, mainly in the Embrace.

Prologue: The Face of Extinction, The Face of Hope

It was over.

Varl almost couldn't register it. Ever since the Proving, the fighting had been endless. The Embrace had been reduced to a pile of kindling, and death followed him like the cold. He had forgotten how it felt to not be in pain. It was only by All-Mother's blessing that he had survived for this long.

But the Metal Devil, or...Hades, as Aloy had called it, laid lifeless beside the Spire, the strange spear still sticking out of its body. Aloy now seemed relaxed, and walked away calmly, leaving the spear in its place. With the demon gone, surely, the fighting was finally over.

The Oseram and the Carja woman joined him in following Aloy to the edge of the cliffside. Aloy spun around at the sound of the Oseram approaching, her arms raised defensively before realizing who it was. The Oseram gave her a friendly pat on the shoulder before she turned to Varl, who gave her an exhausted nod.

Aloy now turned to the mesa, raising her bow for all to see. It took a second before the soldiers began to cheer in victory. Soon, Varl found himself joining in. For the first time since before the Proving, he felt like All-Mother was truly watching him. Maybe...just maybe, he would look forward to the next day.

It was a moment that he would savor and hold tight, because a part of him knew that it could only last for so long.

I know it's a little short, but I just wanted to get it out there.

This story will mainly focus on Varl and the Nora following the final battle. Like how it was with Aloy in canon, I want this to be a personal battle, one that deals with some of the internal battles that we get a glimpse of in the game. The beginning of this story will be slow, but I intend to have it pick up relatively quickly. When I get around to writing it, at least.