𝐀𝐏𝐎𝐓𝐄𝐋𝐄𝐒𝐌𝐀; ɢᴠ x ʜᴘ (𝐀𝐃𝐎𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐃)

𝟎𝟎𝟐; ᴛʜᴇ ʀᴜᴍᴏʀs

THE SHADOW FOLD, a veil of ebony that hung like a shroud over the Tula Valley, was a place of darkness and dread, a dividing line that cut through the heart of Ravka like a knife. It was a place where the sun never shone, where the stars were swallowed up by the endless night, and where the very air felt thick and heavy with the weight of fear.

The people of Novokribirsk gazed out at the Fold from their vantage point on the western side of Ravka, they saw something that defied all explanation. A pair of figures, silhouetted against the blackness of the Fold, emerged unscathed from its inky depths.

The figures were like nothing the people of Novokribirsk had ever seen before. They moved with a grace and fluidity that seemed to defy the laws of nature, their movements as smooth and effortless as the flow of water over polished stones. Their faces were etched with an otherworldly beauty.

As they stepped out into the light, the people of Novokribirsk held their breath, transfixed by the sight before them. For a moment, there was silence, as if the very air had been held captive by the spell of these mysterious figures.

Then, as if released from a trance, the people of Novokribirsk erupted into a frenzy of whispers and gasps, their minds reeling with questions and wonder. Who were these beings of light and shadow, and what magic had allowed them to emerge unscathed from the heart of the Fold?

The figures, oblivious to the commotion they had caused, continued to move with a grace and beauty that seemed to transcend the world around them, their movements as mesmerizing as the dance of the stars in the sky. The people of Novokribirsk watched in awe, they knew that they had witnessed something truly extraordinary, a moment that would be etched into their memories forever.

As the people of Novokribirsk stood there, staring out at the empty expanse where the figures had disappeared, a hushed silence settled over them. Then, as if on cue, the murmurs began.

"Did you see that?"

"Who could they be?"

"Saints, perhaps?"

"Or demons..."

The rumors swirled around them like a whirlwind, each person adding their own spin to the story. Some whispered of divine intervention, of beings sent by the heavens to deliver them from the darkness of the Fold. Others spoke of darker things, of creatures born of the shadows themselves, sent to drag them down into the depths of oblivion.

But amidst the chaos of voices and opinions, one voice rang out clear and strong.

"They were real." A young soldier said, his voice filled with wonder. "I saw them with my own eyes."

The others turned to him, their eyes hungry for any scrap of information.

"What did they look like?"

"Did they say anything?"

"Did they have any weapons?"

The soldier shook his head, his eyes still wide with amazement. "I can't explain it." He said. "They were like nothing I've ever seen before. Beautiful, yes, but also... otherworldly. And when they disappeared, it was like they were never there at all."

The others murmured in agreement, their minds racing with questions and theories. And as the rumors swirled around them, each person clung to their own version of the truth, certain that they had witnessed something extraordinary on that fateful day at the edge of the Fold.

As the rumors reached the Little Palace, the soldiers of the Second Army gathered in small groups, their faces awash with excitement and curiosity.