The real test had only just begun.Far from Nightfall territory, deep in the shadowed forest where the trees grew twisted and old, the figure who had been watching the shifting balance finally moved. Golden eyes opened slowly, reflecting the thin threads of sunlight that struggled to reach the forest floor. The silence there was not natural it was the quiet of a place that had learned to hide from the world. The figure stood beneath a crooked branch, gloved fingers brushing absentmindedly against rough bark as if tracing patterns only they understood.“So,” the voice murmured softly into the still air,