Chapter 49: The Birth of a New Era

Rayka awoke to the soft rustle of wind through the trees, her body heavy with the weight of exhaustion. The events of the night before felt like a fevered dream, flashes of battle and betrayal still echoing in her mind. Her side throbbed where the silver-tipped arrow had struck, the poison still working its way out of her system, though much of it had been neutralized by the healers. Her muscles ached, and she felt the faint stirrings of her unborn child, reminding her of the delicate balance she needed to maintain.

She glanced to her side and saw Sylvester, asleep in a chair near the bed, his face lined with worry even in sleep. His dark hair was disheveled, and his clothes were still streaked with dirt and blood from the battle. Rayka’s heart clenched at the sight. Despite his unshakable strength, Sylvester had been stretched thin by the ongoing crisis, and she knew it weighed heavily on him. They had faced numerous threats, from internal dissent to external enemies, but the stakes