The village had settled into a tentative peace following the battle in the Obsidian Rift. The victorious return of Elara and her team had brought a sense of hope and relief to the weary villagers. Yet beneath the surface, a palpable tension remained—a feeling that the hardest trials were yet to come.
As the sun set, casting long shadows across the village, Elara gathered her team around the makeshift command center they had established in the village hall. The room was filled with maps, notes, and various artifacts, all laid out for strategic planning.
Morgana, her face illuminated by the flickering light of the lanterns, was examining the dark crystalline seal they had retrieved. Its dark energy had been subdued, but the seal still radiated an unsettling aura. Aric stood beside her, his expression focused as he studied the symbols and runes on the artifact.
