#Chapter 235: The Capsule

Agnes Elijah lifted the lid of the capsule slowly and carefully, his fingers leaving smudges in the layer of dust that coated the old metal. I leaned in, eager to catch a glimpse of what was inside. James shifted closer too, his notebook forgotten on the ground beside him. But as the lid came off completely, revealing the capsule’s contents, my heart sank. There was no artifact. No stone carving of a wolf. No magical relic of any kind. Instead, there was a single folded piece of paper—a yellowed letter, protected from the elements by the sealed capsule. Elijah carefully removed the paper and unfolded it with care, and James and I crowded around to read over his shoulders. The handwriting was faded but still legible: “To whoever finds this letter, If you are reading this, then our village is likely no more. We have made the difficult decision to abandon our homes, the place where many of us were born and raised, the place where we buried o