Night had settled over Dawn Veil like a quiet blanket, the soft patter of rain falling on old stone adding a sense of calm to the night. In her new home, a small, humble cottage nestled between wildflower fields and a winding river, Aria Hartfield moved quietly through the rooms. The floorboards creaked softly beneath her feet, but the house, though modest, felt warmer than any place she had known in years. Outside, the world was hushed, the only sounds the distant murmur of the river and the steady sigh of the wind against the eaves.
Inside, she sat at her writing desk. A single lamp cast a soft glow across the scattered pages of parchment. The cottage was filled with small treasures: books lined one wall, a basket of herbs and mended clothes rested near the door, and in the corner, a cr
