The morning broke with an unsettling stillness, the air thick with anticipation. Kael, Morgana, and Elarion had gathered early at the heart of the Sanctuary, where the council had convened to discuss their next course of action. The villagers, though still weary from the toll of their recent trials, were eager for guidance. Their faces were a mixture of hope and wariness, the promise of safety mingling with the fear of what might come next.
Kael stood at the head of the table, his gaze sweeping over the gathered villagers. "The darkness we faced was but one manifestation of a much older, much deeper force," he began, his voice steady but carrying the weight of their shared experience. "What we've learned from the Source, from the Obelisk, is that we are not just fighting against the Forsaken and their corrupted magic. There are older powers at play—forces that have been hidden, forgotten by time itself."
