The courtyard lay hushed under a silver veil of moonlight, its stillness broken only by the faint rustle of leaves stirred by a restless breeze.
Riven stood at its center, his silhouette sharp against the glow of flickering lanterns, their flames dancing like nervous whispers.
Selene lounged against a stone pillar, her white silks catching the light, while Azira fidgeted nearby, her wide eyes darting between the three glowing cocoons nestled in the courtyard's corners.
Suyin, Liam, and Zen rested within, their forms shrouded in translucent white shells, pulsing softly like heartbeats of divine promise.
No crowd gathered here; the night belonged to Riven, Selene, and Azira alone, witnesses to a transformation that few could claim to have seen.
A faint crack split the silence, sharp as a snapped twig. Riven's head tilted, his gaze locking onto Suyin's cocoon. Thin fractures spiderwebbed across its surface, each seam leaking light like dawn piercing fogged glass.
