Serenya's POV
The message arrived at dawn, delivered by water magic that condensed from the morning mist into words that hung in the air before Serenya's eyes.
…They're going to execute him. Today. Sunset. - J…
Serenya sat in her garden, a cup of tea cooling in her hands as she read Joanna's urgent message. Around her, roses climbed the walls of her sanctuary, their petals still damp with dew. The morning was peaceful, beautiful even. The kind of morning that made you forget the world was full of injustice and suffering.
But Joanna's message shattered that illusion completely.
She set down her tea and stood, her movements unhurried despite the urgency of the situation. Twenty years of careful neutrality. Twenty years of watching events unfold from the shadows, never interfering, never taking sides. Twenty years of telling herself that the world's problems were not her responsibility.
All of that was about to end.
