The Echo Gardens buzzed with an ethereal hum as the group lingered beneath the crystalline tree, its golden leaves casting a soft, otherworldly glow over them. Delphina sat cross-legged on the grass, her small hands tracing the glowing runes on a nearby stone, while Regnare leaned against a pillar, his sharp blue eyes scanning the horizon. Lamair and Trevor lounged nearby, the latter still nursing his shaken pride with a faint smirk, though his crimson cloak now shimmered faintly in the garden's mystic light.
The air suddenly shifted—a ripple of power, subtle but undeniable, coursed through the garden. The whispering stones pulsed brighter, their voices rising into a harmonious crescendo as if greeting an old friend. Delphina's golden eyes widened, and she shot to her feet, her braided tails bouncing with her movement.
"He's here," she whispered, her voice trembling with excitement. "I can feel him!"
