The weight of Ronan's death settled upon them like a shroud, yet the urgency of their mission pressed against the suffocating grief. They couldn't afford to be consumed by sorrow; Derick's fate, and perhaps the fate of the entire realm, hung in the balance. Serenity's curse, a malevolent enchantment that bound him to a perpetual cycle of suffering, was the key to unlocking their victory. Breaking it was their only chance at redemption, not just for Derick, but for themselves.
Lyra, her usual fiery spirit dimmed but not extinguished, took the lead. Her research into ancient texts, a labor of love that often stretched into the late hours of the night, had yielded a glimmer of hope. She had discovered a fragmented legend, an obscure passage whispering of a hidden spring, the "Tears of Aethel
