|Theodore|
The moment we stepped beyond the gates, Jeremiah was whisked away by a group of healers. Lily had barely said a word before they acted—her request, quiet but firm, carried enough weight to ensure he received immediate care. It was clear that her presence here still held influence, even after all this time.
As the rest of us entered the heart of the settlement, I couldn’t help but notice the shift in the air.
People stopped what they were doing—women with baskets of herbs, men repairing a broken wheel, children in the midst of play—and turned to stare. Their eyes tracked our every movement, guarded and calculating. Suspicion lingered in their expressions, etched deep by years of wariness. No one greeted us. No one smiled. The silence that followed us felt almost physical.
It
