C68 WHEN DARKNESS FIRST APPEARED

That morning, the sun rose late.

The sun seemed to be terrified of what it could discover below, so it stayed behind the mountains for a while. The valley that had once been lit up by divine fire was now calm, scarred, gorgeous, and odd.

Elara stood barefoot on the ground, which was getting cooler, and felt the faint pulse of life under her toes. Overnight, grass started to grow through the ash