The Binding of Ages

Previously

…He looked at her, his expression grave. “They will hunt you now, Elara. They will hunt the Echo. You are no longer just a baker. You are the Keeper, and the fate of ages rests upon your shoulders.” The words hung in the air, heavy with destiny. Elara looked at her hands, still dusted with flour, hands that had only ever known the comfort of dough and the warmth of the oven. Now, they were meant to hold the balance of time. The scent of baking bread, once so reassuring, now seemed to carry the faint, unsettling aroma of a destiny she never asked for. The quiet life she cherished felt like a distant memory, already fading into the mists of a history that was suddenly, terrifyingly, in flux.