A pallid dawn broke over the city as if reluctant to banish the lingering twilight. In the wake of their return from the Ruins of Aetherion, the founders found the air thick with both cautious hope and a tension that belied the celebratory murmurs of a people eager for renewal. Yet within every heart there stirred a question: what price would the covenant ultimately demand?
In the grand council hall, where once the founders had proclaimed unity and resolve beneath the ancient arches, murmurs of dissent now swelled beneath the surface. Liam stood at the head of the assembled elders and citizens, his steady gaze fixed on the flickering shadows cast by the lanterns. "Our journey has opened new vistas of possibility," he began, his voice measured yet resolute. "But it has also stirred old forces that we cannot ignore. The covenant calls us to face not only the darkness beyond our walls, but the shadows that reside within our souls."
