"Aren't you worried about that old man? Shouldn't we get rid of him?"Amelia only brought it up once Hanna had drifted to sleep, still clinging tightly to her.Jason didn’t look up from his papers."He isn't snooping around, is he?"His hand moved smoothly, turning a page with practised ease.The light from the magic lantern caught the fine lines of modern paper, not parchment.A subtle sign of change.One of many Earth-born advancements quietly seeping into Yuriel under his guidance.Amelia brushed a soft strand of hair away from Hanna’s face, her eyes lingering on the child's peaceful expression."Hm. But none of your people can stop him."Her voice was calm, but the edge beneath it was unmistakable.Jason finally looked up and met her gaze."Let's wait and see," he said."I don't think he’ll stay long. He’s one of the Shadows. They carry out the Grand Wizards’ will. People like him don’t linger—they act."He paused. The words that followed were slower. More thoughtful. He didn’t bot

A week later, Old Shadow left Light Shone with a heart pulled in two. As he departed, the news everyone had waited for finally broke. The armies of the Brodice Kingdom attacked Alexandria, and the long-anticipated war began earlier than predicted.Across Earth and Yuriel, people waited for the Crystal Pulse to respond. They took a stance no one expected. Jason Hope was usually the aggressor—his responses were swift and violent. This time, the Crystal Pulse summoned their warriors back to Light Shone. The groups sent to clear bandits and gather isolated villages moved fast, passing through Forest Edge within a few days and returning to Light Shone.Rumours spread. Some said Jason feared a direct clash. Others believed he was regrouping for a strike after organising. The war, after all, was between Alexandria and the Brodice Kingdoms, and Light Shone was a small, independent village that belonged to neither side. Yet the Brodice Kingdom’s real goal was clear: to conquer Light Shone to re