The air was thick with tension as Naena stood at the edge of her sacred Hollow, her signature qi swirling gently around her silver-lined robes. Beside her stood her granddaughter, Eirana, her face calm yet shadowed with unease. Behind them gathered a crowd of Nullcarvers, the elite of the Qi-wielding tribe—silent warriors cloaked in twilight robes, emanating strength from their stillness. Kaelen's friends—Morris, Ethan, and Guinevere—stood just behind them, alert and armed. The air buzzed with Qi and readiness.
Naena's expression was grim. The elven presence approaching them had not gone unnoticed. She raised her hand and turned toward the tall Nullcarver who had just returned from Lila's former chamber. "Bring Kaelen and Kelvin to me," she commanded in a voice that cut through the veil of silence like a knife.
"Yes, Matriarch," the Nullcarver bowed, disappearing in a flash of silver mist, heading for Kaelen's location.
