Life found its rhythm. The world of Aethel, now connected by the new generation of story-seekers and trade routes, entered an age of quiet prosperity. The gentle, homespun magic of the people grew, intertwining with the new ideas brought back by the travelers. It was a slow, organic evolution, a story unfolding at its own, natural pace.
Nox and Serian were content. They had become the benevolent, unseen grandparents of an entire world. Their great work was done.
Or so they thought.
The anomaly appeared without warning. It was not a cosmic threat or a dimensional breach. It was a person. A young woman, who simply… walked into Oakhaven one day.
She was human, but she radiated an energy that was utterly alien to this world. It was the sharp, quantifiable energy of the System. She was a player.
Her name was Lena, and she was very, very lost.
