Chapter 2002 - Chapter 2002: The Unfinished Chorus

The days that followed were not a return to what was, but a slow, deliberate forging of a new normal. The village, which had no name other than 'The Shore', embraced Mara and Corvin with a quiet understanding. They were given a small, empty hut near the cliff's edge, not to replace Elian's resonant home, which stood silent and respected, but to serve as their own. It was spartan, smelling of salt and dried herbs, and for the first few nights, the silence within its walls was a stark contrast to the symphony of memory and grief that played in their minds.