Night draped itself over Elvania like a silken cloak.
High above, the moon hung full and bright in the sky, its pale silver light spilling across the land and turning the World Tree into an ethereal monument. Its massive trunk rose like a pillar into the heavens, while its vast canopy stretched endlessly across the night.
Near its roots, patches of bark had been blackened by Astarte's presence and the deathly mana she commanded, yet beneath the moonlight, even that darkness seemed strangely serene.
The air around the World Tree felt peaceful.
Quiet.
Almost sacred.
On the balcony of one of the mansion's upper rooms, Arthur stood alone.
His hands rested on the cool stone railing as the gentle night breeze brushed against his face. The wind carried the faint scent of leaves, damp earth, and the subtle pulse of mana that constantly surrounded the World Tree.
He inhaled slowly.
Calming his thoughts.
'Two days,' Arthur thought. 'We're leaving in two days.'
