The morning sun rose over Haven, casting long shadows across the village square. William stood at the edge of the healing house, watching the procession of students who had come to take their oaths. They were young, mostly—barely more than children—with eager eyes and steady hands. Some had come from Veridias. Some from the eastern valleys. Some from the mountain villages that dotted the old empire.
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. In her hands she held a scroll—the Healer's Oath, written by the village elders, signed by every healer who had come before.
"Welcome," she said. "You have come to learn. To heal. To serve. That is a noble
