C39 CHAINED BY FATE

The dawn arrived silently that morning.

Golden sunlight flowed across the valley like liquid warmth, wiping away the remnants of blood and ash from the night before. The air was thick with silence—a silence not of peace, but of consequence.

Elara stood at the edge of the woods, her cloak fluttering lightly in the early breeze. The slight aroma of smoke still clung to her hair