The morning sun cast long shadows across the healing house as William stood at its entrance, watching the new students arrive. They came from everywhere—Veridias, the eastern valleys, the mountain villages. Young men and women with eager eyes and steady hands, ready to learn the art of healing.
Vesper stood at the front of the group, her white eyes scanning their faces. She had aged in the years since the Council's fall, but her voice was still firm, her presence still commanding.
"Welcome," she said. "You have come to learn. To heal. To serve. That is a noble calling."
A young man stepped forward. His name was Kael, from the eastern valleys. His family had been killed in the Rust plague, and he had sworn to prevent such suffering from ever happening again.
"I want to learn everything,
