Morning light crept through the sanctuary's high windows, painting amber streaks across the stone floor. Elias watched the new guardians practice their forms, their movements fluid and confident after months of training. They had come so far since those first uncertain days.
But something was wrong.
He couldn't identify the source of his unease. The guardians moved with precision. The Primordial Light pulsed with its steady rhythm. The wards hummed with familiar protection. Everything appeared normal.
Yet a cold knot had taken root in his stomach.
You sense it too, the shadow said. The disturbance.
Elias nodded slowly. "Yes. Like a whisper just beyond hearing. Something is not right."
It is subtle. Nearly invisible. But it is there.
Elias walked among the guardians, studying their f
