Mara kneaded the dough with hands that knew every rhythm of the kitchen, her fingers pressing into the warm, yeasty mass as if extracting secrets. The oven’s glow cast golden light across the bakery’s wooden counters, mingling with the scent…
The salt-kissed air bit at Clara’s cheeks as she adjusted the lamp’s wick, its golden glow slicing through the predawn gloom. The lighthouse had been her sanctuary since her father’s death, a place where the roar of the sea drowned…
## The Echo Painter Rain lashed against the corrugated iron roof of the warehouse, a relentless drumming that mirrored Elara’s pulse. The space smelled of damp concrete, stale coffee, and something vaguely metallic – the scent of experimentation. She gripped…
## Echo Bloom The rain tasted like static. Not unpleasant, just… unusual. Elara licked the droplets clinging to her cheekbone, a faint hum vibrating against her skin. Everything did these days. It was the Bloom, they called it. A city-wide…
## The Stillness Echo The rain smelled like wet asphalt and regret. Elias pulled his collar higher, the damp chill sinking into his bones as he watched her. Amelia sat on the park bench, head bowed, a city symphony of…