Chapter 5: Secrets from the Past

The settlement had given them shelter, but it had not yet given them answers.

Elara sat near a fire pit, flipping through her journal as Callum spoke in hushed tones with the survivors. The settlement had been built out of necessity - scavenged wood, salvaged bricks, anything that could hold against the coming seasons. It was a fragile hope, stitched together with desperation and resilience.

A woman named Rhea had become their guide through the camp. She was cautious but not hostile, and her sharp eyes missed nothing.

"We don't talk about the past much," she admitted. "Most here have tried to forget it."

Elara looked up. "But history can't be erased."

Rhea exhaled, folding her arms. "Then maybe you should know what really happened."

She led them to an old storage building near the edge of the riverbank. Inside, maps and documents were scattered across tables, covered in dust but preserved with care.

"These were taken from government offices before the city fell," Rhea explained. "We risked everything to retrieve them."

Elara ran her fingers over the parchment. Military reports. Political letters. Evidence of betrayals and deals made behind closed doors.

"The war didn't happen the way they told us," Rhea murmured. "It wasn't just about power or territory. It was orchestrated."

Elara's pulse quickened.

Callum leaned in. "Orchestrated? By whom?"

Rhea's expression darkened. "By those who profited from destruction."

The truth was buried here, waiting to be uncovered.

And for the first time, Elara and Callum realized - they had only scratched the surface of history's greatest deception.