Chapter 139: The Garden of Before
The Tending Glade. The name settled over the mountain valley like a gentle mist, replacing the old labels of "Beckoning" or "Echo-Ven." It was no longer merely a place that listened, nor even just a consciousness that conversed. It was an active, nurturing force in the foundational layer of reality. The knowledge of its true purpose a gardener at the wellspring of 'becauses' filtered through the network and out into the wider world, carried by the Truth-Seers and Guild runners. It was met with a wave of quiet, profound awe.
In the cove, Elara found the concept resonated deeply with her life's work. "We contextualized trauma in individual stories," she mused to Kaelen as they walked the cliff path. "We helped the land remember its own songs. But this… this is tending the soil before the seed of trauma can even be planted. It's preventative healing on a cosmic scale."
