Elena’s POV

The wind at the cemetery was cold and restless, sweeping through the rows of gray tombstones like a whisper of endings.

Elder Scarlett’s funeral was far simpler than anyone had expected.

Even ordinary families would hold three days of mourning, with relatives and neighbors coming and going while incense burned through the night. But Elder Scarlett had none of that. Her body had been cremated almost immediately, the ashes sealed in a dark urn and placed quietly into a ...