While tossing hay one evening, I noticed two deer step from the woods—calm, unafraid. The smaller one stared at me like it knew me. Then it approached and dropped something at my feet: a dark bundle. Inside? A worn wooden box holding a silver locket engraved with strange symbols. The deer turned and walked into the woods. I followed.

It led me to a hidden clearing with a massive twisted oak. Beneath it, I unearthed a stone tablet with the same symbols—and a sealed parchment inside. The message read:
“The truth is not safe. The truth is not gentle. If you seek it, follow the signs. This is only the beginning.”

I was shaken. The deer. The message. The locket. None of it was random.