When the Village Sleeps

Previously

…The chapter ended not with a dramatic climax, but with a quiet, profound sense of unity. The sacred space was prepared, the offerings were laid, and the villagers, their hearts heavy with the weight of their ancestors’ mistakes but lightened by a renewed sense of purpose, stood ready. The ritual itself, the true test, was yet to come, but in the hushed clearing, surrounded by the ancient trees and the silent stones, Oakhaven had taken its first, hesitant step towards healing.