The return to the present was jarring, leaving Samuel and Esther drained but exhilarated. The university lab, usually a place of quiet scientific endeavor, now felt like the secure heart of a global magical nexus. The Golden Leaf Casket hummed with a powerful, balanced energy, a constant reminder of their journey through time and their confrontation with the divine.
The immediate aftermath was a scramble for damage control. They informed Alpha Bamidele who had stepped back into the role of interim leader during Samuel's sudden disappearance of their temporal escapade. The Pack, already recovering from the trauma of the near-loss of Tunde and the realization of Fortune's manipulative tactics, struggled to absorb the scale of the revelation.
The core change in their existence was the Àṣẹ the Divine Command imprinted upon the Foundation Stone by Samuel's ancestor: Balance shall be achieved not by bondage, but by choice. This new law resonated through every member of the Pack. The mandatory duty of guarding the Stone was replaced by a voluntary, conscious commitment to maintaining the city's magical equilibrium. It was true freedom, but it required continuous, personal vigilance.
Esther spent the following weeks deeply engrossed in Madam Chinwe's final notes, correlating them with the divine instruction they received from Ọrúnmìlà. She realized the silver bloom pendant was far more than a mere energy conduit; it was a temporal tuner, capable of resonating with the 'chosen' path of their destiny.
"The Golden Leaf is the anchor of the present," Esther explained to Samuel one evening, running her fingers over the cool, flawless surface of the Casket. "But the silver is the anchor of choice. It's a subtle distinction, but crucial. Fortune, even trapped in the past, will always seek an imbalance in the timeline. We need to be alert to any ripples."
Samuel, now fully embracing his role as Alpha, had established new, rigorous training regimens focused on mental and spiritual control, rather than just physical strength. The Pack's discipline was now a matter of internal focus, not external law.
"The greatest defense is a united Pack," Samuel agreed, resting his heavy hand on Esther's shoulder. "Bamidele has stepped down permanently. The Pack recognizes the strength in the New Pact. They've given me my first official Alpha task."
"What is it?"
"To secure the final piece of the legacy,"
Samuel said, his voice lowering with a deep, thoughtful seriousness. "The Pack Elders believe that Madam Chinwe did not destroy all the Folium Aethel seeds. She likely hid the remaining stock in case the Golden Leaf failed. Those seeds, if they fall into the wrong hands or the wrong timeline could undo everything."
Esther's mind flashed back to the cryptic notes and the vast, overgrown greenhouse. "The seeds of the Folium Aethel... the original unstable plant. If a Shadow creature gets hold of those seeds, they could cultivate a new, chaotic Silver Bloom in any timeline."
"Exactly," Samuel confirmed. "It's a race against an unknown future threat. We need to find the Seed Cache."