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A weary dawn broke over the scarred valley as Elara, Corvin, and Lysander emerged from the sanctuary where the Rite of Reclamation had briefly stilled the storm of despair. Though the ruins of Elaris had been bathed in the shard's gentle radiance and ancient relics momentarily stirred with hope, an unsettling quiet now hovered like a specter over the city. The companions paused on a fractured cobblestone pathway, each lost in their own thoughts as the soft light of early morning filtered through lingering clouds.
Elara's eyes, still reflecting the pulsing glow of the Shard of Aetherion, betrayed both resolve and sorrow. "We have touched the heart of Elaris," she murmured, her voice carrying the weight of the ritual. "But I fear that what we have awakened is not so easily quelled." Her fingers absently traced the smooth surface of the shard as if seeking reassurance from its cool, steady pulse.
