The Widower’s Silence

Inspired by Neris, another elder, a quiet man who had lost his partner in the Riptide schism, shared his story. He spoke not of the political machinations, but of the sudden, jarring silence in his home, the empty space that had once been filled with a shared life. His story was not in the ‘Living History’; it was a private grief, a personal echo of a public tragedy. As he spoke, Kaelen felt the foundations of her archival philosophy begin to crack. The ‘Living History’ was a record of what had happened, but these stories, shared in the safety of the circle, were a testament to what had been lost.