“The balance has been broken,” she murmured, kneeling by the now-shrunken pool. The villagers whispered blame: drought, greed, or perhaps a forgotten oath. But Elara knew the truth—when the heart of a people grows divided, the spring withers. On the eve of the next celestial alignment, a crowd of strangers arrived under a veil of stardust. They were Lezbeads , wanderers, healers, and dreamers from every corner of the world. Some bore scars of past wars; others carried the quiet ache of being unseen. Yet each was drawn to the valley as if by an ancient call.
