Even the youngest in the crowd, who barely understood the weight of their village's legacy, felt the change in the air.
The chief's wife stared at him. "You never told me—"
"I couldn't," he said, not looking at her. "Not until it was certain."
He looked out at his people now, voice deepening.
"I have dreamt the same dream for five nights. A voice—neither male nor female, neither angry nor kind—spoke to me. It said: The time is nearing. The seed that was denied will be given. The soil cursed shall sprout anew."
He stepped down from the platform.
"I do not know if it is a blessing… or a trial. But something is changing. I feel it in the land. In the stars above. In the very blood of the few sons we still have."
He looked toward Rael.
"In him too."
The villagers turned to stare at Rael, some in awe, others in confusion. Rael, unsure what to feel, kept his eyes on the chief.
