Days passed. Then weeks. The sanctuary was peaceful. Travelers came and went. The tree grew taller. The meeting places flourished. But everyone could feel it. A tension in the air. A waiting.
Seong spent his days walking among the people, listening to their stories, offering what comfort he could. At night, he sat beneath the tree with the queen and her sons, watching the stars.
"Do you think we will survive?" asked Kaien one night.
"I do not know," said the queen. "But I know that we have already won. Because we have loved. We have chosen. We have built something worth protecting. Even if it falls, it will not be forgotten."
"That is not very comforting," said Kalib.
"It is the only comfort there is," said the queen.