As Alvera handed Kael the key, her hand trembled slightly.
She looked away quickly, trying to hide the unease building inside her. The box… it wasn't just any old item. It was something her mother had protected, something she held close even in her final days.
Memories stirred in Alvera's mind. She remembered those quiet moments when Asana would sit by the window, staring into the falling snow. Her mother's eyes always seemed far away, filled with sadness, longing… and something else she couldn't place back then.
Back then, Alvera was just a child, naive and too young to understand the weight of her mother's silence. Even though their kind lived long lives, they didn't mature quickly. Wisdom took time, and hearts took longer.
But there was one thing Asana had always told her.
