The first year of marriage passed like a dream.Kael woke each morning to the warmth of Rhydian beside him. They ate breakfast together, walked through the gardens, taught their students, and returned to their cottage each evening. The world was quiet. Peaceful. Everything they had fought for.But something was stirring in the shadows.Kael felt it first in the reports from the southern territories. Villages reporting strange lights in the sky. Farmers finding symbols carved into their fields. Travelers disappearing on the roads.He mentioned it to Rhydian one evening as they sat by the fire."There's something happening in the south."Rhydian looked up from his book. "What kind of something?""I don't know. But it feels familiar."Rhydian closed the book. "Familiar how?"Kael met his eyes. "Like the beginning of something. Something we've seen before."The reports continued to arrive over the following weeks.Kael sent scouts to investigate. They returned with troubling news. The sym
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