Chapter 104

Chapter 104 Reunion at the Crossroads Ruvan's POV The old watchtower at Millbrook's edge had seen better centuries. Its stones were weathered smooth by wind and rain, its battlements crumbling like broken teeth against the morning sky. But it still stood—a testament to the builders who had raised it in simpler times, when the greatest threats came from mortal armies rather than cosmic aberrations. I arrived first, as was my habit. Age had taught me the value of punctuality, and the urgency thrumming through my bones demanded I waste no time on pleasantries. My horse, a sturdy mare named Wisdom who tolerated my scholarly eccentricities with equine patience, stamped nervously as I dismounted. Even she could sense the wrongness bleeding in from the eastern reaches. The air itself felt different here. Thicker, somehow, as if reality had developed a slight stutter that made each breath require conscious effort. I pulled my traveling cloak tighter against the unnatural chill and began unpack