Chapter 28

• Ayu began to sob harder. She knew the storm she had weathered wasn’t over yet; ahead, many challenges still awaited her and Daniel. But for the first time since all of this began... the sky felt a little clearer.
• After the decision was announced, the atmosphere at the temple shifted. No longer heavy with tension, but still silent… like the quiet after someone exhales deeply following a long-held breath. Some people whispered prayers of gratitude to God because the ancestral land remained protected.
• Villagers who had only watched from afar now began to approach. Though hesitation lingered in their eyes, there was also hope. The first to speak was Bli Gede, an old neighbor of Ayu’s family.