In the crystalline stillness of twilight, when the sky burned in veins of violet and rose, the city of Ravenshollow came alive in its secret splendor. Here, ancient spires of obsidian and ivory pierced the heavens, their gargoyles guarding silent rooftops as lanterns flickered into being along cobblestone avenues. A soft breeze, redolent with the scent of nocturnal gardenias, whispered through arched windows and secret courtyards. In this realm of shadow and splendor—where mortals trembled beneath the promise of eternal night—two figures stood atop the highest tower of Mooncrest Keep: Qiao Zhi and Gu Yangjin, the foremost Ancient Ones, bound by love more luminous than any starlight.