## The Static Between Stars The chipped Formica of the diner booth felt cold under Leo Klein’s elbows. July 19th, 1985. Cologne tasted like weak coffee and regret. Rain hammered against the plate glass window, blurring Alfredstrasse into streaks of…
## The Static Bloom The salt spray stung Elara’s face. Not actual salt, not anymore. Metallic tang, like old blood and static electricity. She braced against the rail of the *Argonaut*, watching the bloom unfold. It wasn’t a color she…
## The Glow Echo The November air smelled like wet iron and dying leaves. Rain slicked the cobblestones of Old Town, reflecting the violet bloom from the willow trees lining the canal. Not natural light. The Glow. Everyone called it…
## The Static Between Stars The chipped Formica counter felt cold under Anya’s elbows. Rain lashed against the diner window, blurring the neon glow of “Rosie’s” into watery streaks. She traced patterns on her lukewarm coffee cup, ignoring Earl the…
## The Sunken Chorus Dust motes danced in the amber light filtering through the stained-glass dome of Elias’ workshop. The air smelled of polished wood, brine, and something older—the faint ozone tang of celestial current. He ran a calloused thumb…
## The Shifting Shell The dust tasted like burnt cinnamon, clinging to the back of Elara’s throat. She pulled her cowl tighter, shielding her face from the perpetual grit swirling around the Crawler’s legs. Not real legs, not anymore. They…
## The Weight of Wings Dust motes danced in the single shaft of sunlight slicing through the warped planks of Old Man Tiber’s cabin. Silas traced the lines on the worn map with a calloused thumb, the parchment smelling of…
## The Beekeeper’s Compass The scent of beeswax and damp stone clung to Adelheid like a second skin. Dust motes danced in the single shaft of sunlight piercing the apothecary’s window, illuminating rows of labeled jars. Not remedies for coughs…
## Echo Bloom The rain tasted like static. Not unpleasant, precisely, but leaving a metallic bloom on the tongue. Old Man Tiber, perched on the rusted hull of a freighter salvaged from before the Lift, spat a brown fleck into…