Chapter 144 - The Field’s Warning

Dawn painted the western valley's eastern field in soft gold, its snow-dusted soil freshly turned, marked with glowing runes etched by Vren's steady hand. Kael El stood at the field's edge, his breath steaming in the chill, watching Kin and survivor farmers scatter seeds infused with the First Code's life runes. Stormforged Blade rested against a nearby cart, shard-pommel humming faintly, like a whisper caught in the wind. EX: Dragonflame Reaver lay sheathed at his hip, Stormhide Armor swapped for a thick cloak, Lyra's fierce spirit and Rhea's gentle love anchoring his tense heart. His flirty smirk was absent, replaced by a furrowed brow, masking a rising concern—the Code's promise of richer fields was working, but strange growths, unnaturally fast, sparked fear of unintended consequences. He brushed EX: Gold Dominion, golden veins threading faintly through the soil, molten but unsteady, echoing the shard's troubled pulse.