As the final day of the Sovereign's Repose dawned, a tense atmosphere loomed over the makeshift encampments of House Avarnel and House Crimsonvale. Though the two mighty houses had stood in opposition for decades, this strange pause in their hostilities had created a fragile, unsettling silence. The representatives, Magnus Raithe and Ilyra Vesryn, had arrived only the previous day, and though they were among the few who did not share the same ingrained animosity towards the opposing house, even they could sense the unnatural calm that had settled over the field of flowers and the abandoned orphanage at its edge.
Inside the tent of House Avarnel, Caelum sat with Magnus, his hands clasped together as he recounted his findings. "The floor beneath the orphanage was not ordinary. The carvings I found—though damaged—were no simple markings. They had a purpose. There was something there before it was wiped away."
Magnus frowned, his calculating eyes narrowing. "Carvings like that don't just exist without reason. It could have been a seal, a crest, or even something more ancient. Do you believe it's related to the girl?"
Caelum exhaled, leaning back against his chair, his fingers tapping against the wooden table. "I don't believe in coincidences. A child appearing from nowhere, surviving in a place that should have been long abandoned… something binds her to this land."
Meanwhile, inside the tent of House Crimsonvale, Seraphina sat with Ilyra, arms crossed, her crimson gaze burning with contemplation. "She has no memory of anything before waking up in the field," she said, frustration laced in her voice. "She insists the flowers cared for her. It's absurd, but…" she trailed off, unwilling to finish the thought.
Ilyra adjusted the thin-rimmed glasses perched on her nose, analyzing Seraphina's expression. "But you believe there's more to it," she concluded. "If the girl has no recollection of how she got here, that means something, or someone, ensured she remained without knowledge."
Seraphina's fingers tapped impatiently against the table. "The more I speak with her, the more I feel like she isn't lying. She truly believes the flowers kept her safe. What I don't understand is how that could be possible."