The light shifted as they climbed the hill, growing softer, warmer, settling into the colours of evening even though no sun had moved across the sky. It felt like the world was teaching itself how to dim.The returned being held Selene’s hand the entire time. Their grip wasn’t desperate anymore, just steady. Present. The kind of hold someone uses to make sure they still belong to a place.Kaelen walked a few steps behind them. Selene could feel him there without looking. His presence wasn’t loud, but it was unmistakable. She knew that if anything changed in the world around them, he would move first. She didn’t need to ask.They reached the top of the hill, and the land unfolded beneath them.The world was still forming, but there were shapes now — lines of what would one day be rivers, low green swells that hinted at forests, valleys waiting for water to remember where it flowed.It was quiet, but not empty.Selene breathed in slowly. The air weighed it now. Not heavy — just real.Lo

The work was slow.Not because it was difficult, but because the world responded best to gentle, steady movements. Every time they rushed, the ground hesitated. Every time they paused to breathe, the soil settled and held its shape a little more firmly.Selene knelt in the dirt with her sleeves pushed up past her elbows. The earth was warm now, not from sunlight, but from her presence. It felt like laying a foundation for something that could last longer than memory.The stranger worked beside her. He moved quietly and without complaint. He didn’t ask questions. He didn’t try to lead. He just watched what she did and mirrored it. His hands were strong and precise. He shaped stones with slow, even pressure, aligning them along the riverbank to guide the water. Every time he placed one, it fit like it had always belonged there.Lorian moved along the upper slope, mapping where structures could stand. They did not draw or mark. They simply touched the ground and listened. When the land f

The footsteps did not move quickly this time. They were slower. Uneven. Whoever approached was not walking with certainty. Selene stayed where she was, eyes fixed on the horizon. The first group of arrivals settled near the river, their movements quiet and exhausted. The air felt different now. Not heavy, but watchful.Kaelen sensed it as well. His posture shifted forward the slightest amount, attention sharpening without aggression. Not defensive. Prepared.The figures emerging from the distance were fewer than the last. Only three.The first was a boy no older than seventeen. His clothes were torn at the edges, and the fabric was faded grey. His hair hung over his eyes. He looked like someone who had been awake too long. His hands were shaking, but he fought to hold them still.Behind him walked a second figure, a woman carrying a child against her chest. The child’s head was tucked into her shoulder, small fingers grasping the fabric of her shirt. The woman’s eyes stayed locked on

They stayed by the river longer than any of them expected. Not because they needed to, but because no one quite knew how to move yet. The world around them was still forming in quiet layers, shaping itself according to presence rather than intention. Selene adjusted her hold on the child as they woke slowly, blinking against the new light. The child didn’t speak. Their eyes just moved over the valley like they were seeing it from a distance inside themselves. Selene brushed a hand through their hair and felt the child lean into her. The closeness felt real. Not symbolic. Not sacred. Just human. Kaelen stood near the water’s edge with his sleeves rolled up, hands submerged in the slow current. His expression was focused, but not tense. He seemed to be listening not to the river, but to the world forming underneath it. The boy watched him from a few steps away. “You can feel it too,” Kaelen said without looking up. The boy hesitated. “I don’t know what I’m feeling.” “That’s

The morning continued with a quiet rhythm. No one rushed to speak. The air sat warm over the plateau, and the ground held a steady weight beneath them, as if the world wanted them to feel anchored.Selene moved a few steps away from the group and lowered herself onto the grass. It bent under her and stayed shaped to her form before easing back. Everything here seemed to respond to presence, not command. She rested her palms against the ground and felt a soft pulse under her fingertips, slow and steady, like a heartbeat learning to beat.The child sat beside her again. They did not cling or ask questions. They simply stayed close, as if that alone was enough to feel safe.The woman looked over the ridge, observing the forming shapes of distant land. Her posture was relaxed but aware. The boy sat cross-legged near the edge, his eyes following the slow movement of the river below.The quiet figure remained still, hands resting on their knees, gaze forward but soft. Their silence did not