When the Village Sleeps

Previously

…He had to find the place Elara had described, the site of the felling. He had to understand the ritual. And he had to find the courage to speak, to be the voice that would mend the broken promise. The task felt impossibly large, a mountain he was not sure he could climb. But as he clutched Elara’s journal, its worn leather warm beneath his fingers, a flicker of resolve ignited within him. He would not falter. For Elara, for the village, for the land itself, he would try. The path ahead was shrouded in uncertainty, but for the first time, Liam felt a sense of purpose, a quiet strength blooming in the wake of his fear. He would begin by finding the grove. He would begin by remembering.