Chapter: The Chorus Beyond the Roots
The first sign that the Veilward Enclave had moved was not an attack.
It was silence.
For three days, the eastern watchtowers reported nothing. No rift flares. No corrupted beasts. No cultist movements. No whispers carried through the old forest paths.
And that was what frightened Vael most.
"The abyss does not retreat," the elder elf said during the morning council. His fingers traced the enchanted maps spread across the wooden table. "It waits. It learns."
Liam stared at the markings. Red points covered the map like infected wounds. Each represented a confirmed void disturbance. But the pattern was wrong.
"They're not spreading randomly," he said.
Ti leaned closer, her golden aura reflecting across the holographic surface. "They're forming a shape."
A moment passed.
Then everyone saw it.
The rifts were not separate attacks.
They were a ritual circle.
