The path forward...

Narrator POV

The heavy air in the dimly lit chamber was filled with tension as Kragen's father, Verrian, paced restlessly. His footsteps echoed off the stone walls, his mind troubled by a storm of thoughts he could not shake. It had been almost a week since he had seen the Moon Goddess in person, and yet, her presence now did little to comfort him. Instead, it reminded him of how deeply he had failed—failed his wife, failed Kragen, and, in the end, failed himself.

Verrian's dark hair fell into his eyes as he stopped abruptly, his jaw tight, fists clenched. He turned to face the Moon Goddess, who stood still as a statue by the flickering flames of the hearth. Her ethereal form shimmered faintly in the light, her eyes dark pools of wisdom and sorrow. But there was a coldness there too, a distance that had always unnerved Verrian.