# Chapter: Silk, Shadows, and the Things Watching From Beyond
Morning in Nacrifa arrived strangely.
Not peacefully.
Just… quieter.
As though the kingdom itself had stayed awake all night listening for another roar beyond the barrier.
The skies above the capital remained dim beneath heavy crimson clouds.
The enchanted barrier still shimmered faintly over the kingdom like fractured glass suspended across the heavens.
And despite the palace servants trying desperately to continue normal routines—
everyone felt it.
Something had changed.
Not visibly.
Instinctively.
Like the world itself was holding its breath.
Inside the royal palace—
the western wing had become unusually lively compared to the suffocating atmosphere infecting the rest of the kingdom.
Mostly because Rael had apparently decided fear was unacceptable during wedding preparations.
Which meant chaos had replaced it instead.
"WHY ARE THERE TWELVE DIFFERENT CEREMONIAL CAPES?"
