<h4>Chapter 626: The Abandoned Vige</h4>


    <strong>Evaline:</strong>


    River didn’t speak, but I could feel his focus on me like a steady current through our bond. His attention never wavered.


    I shifted my gaze from Kieran to the witches seated across the firepit and my eyes settled on Morwen.


    She was watching me with an unreadable expression.


    "So I decided to dig deeper into the matter," I spoke calmly.


    The mes crackled softly between us.


    "What else did you find?" River’s voice was steady as he asked the question, but there was an edge to it now.


    The question pulled my gaze back to him. And for a brief moment, I hesitated... not because I doubted the truth, but because I knew what I was about to say would change the entire direction of this conversation.


    "A lot," I admitted quietly.


    The word settled heavily in the air.


    I straightened slightly in my seat and folded my hands over the folder resting in myp.


    "After discovering the purpose of that rune, I started researching when it wasst used and when it was officially banned."


    My gaze moved briefly toward the papers Elder Morwen still held.


    "That rune," I said slowly, "was dered forbidden four centuries ago."


    The reaction this time was subtle, but it was there.


    Even the other witches shifted in their seats.


    The younger one who had been openly hostile earlier frowned slightly.


    "And do you know what else happened four centuries ago?" I asked quietly.


    No one answered.


    "The first recorded soul death cases."


    The wordsnded exactly how I expected them to - like a stone dropped into still water.


    River leaned forward slightly now, resting his elbows loosely on his knees.


    I could feel the sharp edge of his attention.


    "When I realized the timeline matched," I continued, "I started going through every piece of evidence we had gathered from the chamber beneath the West Tower."


    I reached for the folder again and pulled out several additional printed pages.


    These ones were more detailed - sketches, tranted notes, observations I had written during myte-night research sessions.


    "I spent several days studying the runes carved inside the secret chamber and the spells," I said.


    I passed the pages to River and he took them without hesitation. But Morwen hesitated for just a second before epting the papers.


    "And?" River asked quietly as he looked through the pages.


    "And I discovered something important," I said and lifted my eyes to meet his again. "There wasn’t just one type of ritual performed in that chamber."


    Kieran straightened slightly at that. "What do you mean?" he asked.


    I inhaled slowly before answering, "There were two."


    Silence fell again.


    I took in a deep breath before continuing, "One of the rituals used the severance rune along with several binding spells to forcefully separate a soul from its body."


    River’s jaw tightened slightly.


    "And then control it."


    Few of the younger witches shifted ufortably.


    "And the other ritual was meant to seal that soul," I said quietly.


    I pointed toward the photograph of the dead tree.


    "Inside that tree."


    The crackling fire seemed louder now.


    I tapped lightly on one of the sketches. "These runes were to lock the soul inside the tree and keep it sealed in the secret chamber."


    For several seconds, no one spoke.


    Then I reached into the folder again. This time, I pulled out something different - two copies of old maps that hadn’t been in use for centuries.


    As usual, I handed one to River and the other to Morwen.


    "These," I said quietly, "are copies of old territorial maps."


    I leaned forward and pointed at one section.


    "Four centuries ago, thend where Silver Moon Academy stands today wasn’t empty."


    River’s eyes narrowed slightly as he studied the markings.


    "It was a vige."


    The younger witches leaned forward now while Kieran joined his brother to take a look at the map.


    "And it wasn’t just any vige," I continued, "but a vige of witches."


    That statement caused visible reactions - the witches exchanged uneasy looks before they shifted their attention to Morwen as if they expected the elder to answer their unasked question.


    River slowly lifted his gaze from the map to me.


    "You are certain?" he asked.


    "Yes," I said, "The records indicate that a fairlyrge coven lived there."


    Elder Morwen’s face remained calm, but I noticed how still she had be.


    "And then one night," I said quietly, "they left. They abandoned the entire settlement and relocated deeper into the mountains."


    I gestured toward the forest around us.


    "Here."


    River nced toward Morwen.


    She still hadn’t spoken.


    "No exnation was ever officially recorded," I continued. "Just vague statements about seeking seclusion."


    Kieran leaned forward now, his eyes narrowing slightly.


    "And the vige?" he asked.


    "It remained abandoned for nearly two centuries," I replied, "until the council eventually demolished the ruins."


    The pieces were all on the table now.


    I let the silence stretch.


    Because sometimes silence made truths louder than words.


    "Let me summarize the timeline," I said calmly.


    I raised one finger.


    "Four centuries ago - witches lived where Silver Moon stands today."


    Second finger.


    "At the same time - someone used a forbidden severance rune to separate a soul from its body."


    Third finger.


    "That soul was then sealed inside the tree in the chamber beneath the West Tower."


    Fourth finger.


    "And around that exact same time..."


    I looked directly at Morwen.


    "The first soul death cases began appearing across the region."


    No one moved.


    "And then," I said quietly, "almost immediately after the witches abandoned their vige..."


    I leaned back slightly.


    "The soul deaths stopped."


    The weight of those words pressed heavily against the pavilion.


    No one spoke.


    Even the younger witch who had been so vocal earlier looked unsettled now.


    "I’m not saying this proves witches were responsible," I continued carefully.


    "Because it doesn’t."


    My gaze moved slowly across the circle.


    "But it does create a very troubling pattern."


    My eyes returned to Morwen.


    "And you know it."


    River didn’t interrupt, he didn’t need to. The quiet authority in his presence was enough.


    "You recognized the rune," I said softly.


    Morwen didn’t answer.


    "You recognized the maps."


    Still nothing.


    "And you definitely recognized the timeline."


    The fire cracked sharply.


    I leaned forward slightly.


    "So I’ll ask you directly."


    My voice softened.


    "Do you have any idea how many people died four centuries ago?"


    That question hung in the air like smoke.


    No answer came.


    "Families lost sons. Parents lost daughters. Entire bloodlines disappeared because their souls were ripped from their bodies."


    My throat tightened slightly, but I pushed through it. "And now it’s happening again." I gestured toward River and Kieran. "We are investigating new soul death cases right now."


    My voice lowered.


    "More people are going to die."


    I met the witches’ gazes one by one. "More families are going to lose the people they love... all because you refuse to talk."


    The witches looked ufortable now, and a few nced toward Morwen again.


    "You say you withdrew from the world to live in peace," I continued quietly. "But what if that’s not the real reason?"


    The pavilion wentpletely still.


    "What if the real reason," I said softly, "is because your ancestors did something terrible."


    The younger witch inhaled sharply.


    "And you chose silence instead of responsibility."


    My gaze remained steady.


    "Maybe you hoped the world would forget."


    I paused.


    "But the problem is... the thing sealed in that chamber didn’t forget."


    River’s voice finally entered the conversation again - low, controlled, and dangerous.


    "Evaline has presented more than enough evidence to raise serious concerns."


    His eyes moved slowly across the witches as he added, "And she has asked you respectfully for the truth."


    He leaned back slightly in his chair.


    "But if you continue to remain silent..." The temperature in the pavilion seemed to drop, "...then the next conversation won’t be this civil."


    A subtle ripple of tension moved through the circle.


    River didn’t raise his voice, he didn’t need to. "I came here today not only to ask for your help but also to help you from getting involved with the council and its politics."


    He then fixed his gaze on Morwen and added, "You know very well how ugly things would turn out once council would learn what my mate has just revealed. That investigation... will not be pleasant."


    Several witches stiffened.


    "The council won’t care about your privacy, or your istion, or your traditions. They will demand answers... and will get them."


    A long silence followed.


    The message was clear - if the council stepped in, things would be ugly. The witches would not only face usations, raids, and interrogations... but would also be forced into cleaning the mess.


    "And while we cannot yet prove your ancestors were responsible for the soul deaths," River continued quietly, "their connection to the secret chamber is undeniable."


    The fire snapped again.


    River’s eyes hardened. "And if you continue refusing to cooperate... the council will assume the worst."


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