Chapter 162

*Elora*

The march didn’t begin with war drums. It began with silence.

Low fog clung to the edges of the valley like breath held too long, and every footstep felt heavier than it should’ve. We didn’t speak much as we moved. The air was too dense, too expectant, like the land itself knew what waited ahead. And maybe it did.

By nightfall, we reached what used to be the outer village. Once, it had hou