It had been more than a year since these five became the core members of the group they named Umbral.
Once a month, they gathered to report on their activities. Their roles were divided, each carrying out tasks suited to their strengths. Those who later joined their ranks were quietly used as unofficial Wardens—fighting shadows, cutting down evil, and reducing its numbers where it hid.
Umbral had grown steadily. Every member was driven not by greed, nor by glory, but by their loyalty to one person and her vision. Her glorious purpose.
To them, Annabelle was more than a leader—she was an inspiration. The fire that urged them to keep moving, to build a world where even the Strongest Warden could one day retire in peace.
Umbral's eyes stretched across nations, watching both small shifts and great upheavals. They moved only when needed, but when they did, the result was decisive.
