Location: Tardide Village → Dark Forest
Time: Day 568 | Telia: Day 58
Realm: Telia (Mission World)
Dawn broke over Tardide with golden light that felt deliberate, as if the world itself wanted to witness this farewell properly.
Jayde stood at the window of her temporary room—the last time she'd wake here, the last morning in the village that had become home despite impossibility—and watched the settlement wake around her.
But something was different.
The entire village had gathered on the main road leading toward the forest. Not dozens. Hundreds. Six hundred fifty people lining both sides of the street, dressed in their finest clothes, waiting.
Ceremonial assembly: Complete village mobilization. Purpose: Formal farewell. Significance: Maximum honor for departing member. Emotional impact: Devastating.
"They're all here," she whispered to Reiko, who'd spent the night curled at the foot of her bed. "Everyone."
