The messenger arrived on a stormy night.
William heard the knock over the howling wind—a sharp, urgent sound that cut through the rain. He opened the door to find a figure wrapped in a dripping cloak, his face pale with exhaustion. The stranger held out a letter sealed with a symbol William had never seen before: a silver tree with roots that stretched into darkness.
"I bring word from the eastern valleys," the messenger said, his voice hoarse. "The people there are in danger. They beg for your help."
William took the letter. "Who sent you?"
"The elders. The ones who remember the Saint. They said you would understand."
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William broke the seal and read.
To William Draven, Keeper of the Saint's Legacy,
The eastern valleys are under threat. A new power has risen in the old empire—a
