The sky over Thistlebrook burned with a sickly amber, casting long shadows across the stone cottages and fields of withered rye. Kaela stood at the edge of the village, her calloused hands gripping the hilt of her dagger, though she…
The sky burned with a sickly hue, a bruise of violet and ash that smothered the stars. Kaela stood at the edge of the village, her boots sinking into the damp earth as she watched the final ember of Aetheris…
The air in Lirien stank of ash and iron. Kaela knelt at the edge of the clearing, her fingers digging into the soil as she willed the fire to die. It didn’t. The flames roared, licking the sky with tongues…
The village of Vareth lay under a sky choked with ash, its streets choked with the stench of decay. Kaela’s boots crunched over brittle grass as she knelt beside the well, her fingers brushing the rim of the iron bucket.…
The forest breathed in Lira’s presence, its ancient roots coiling like serpents beneath the moss-laden earth. She knelt at the base of the elderwood, fingers brushing the gnarled bark until it hummed beneath her touch—a sound like wind through hollow…
The air reeked of burnt pine as Kaelen stepped over the crumpled body of the scout, his boots crunching through the brittle remains of a shattered campfire. The forest around him pulsed with a low, guttural hum, like the earth…
The salt-kissed air tasted like memory as Clara tightened the straps of her backpack, her boots crunching over gravel that scattered like shattered glass beneath the late afternoon sun. The lighthouse stood sentinel at the cliff’s edge, its white paint…
The village of Elmhollow burned as Kaela sprinted through the smoke, her boots crunching over shattered glass and charred timber. The air reeked of ash and sulfur, a stench that clung to her skin like a second layer. Behind her,…
The village of Elmhollow held its breath beneath a sky bruised purple, the air thick with the scent of rain and something older—something that clung to the soil like a memory. Lira stood at the edge of the forest, her…
The sun hung low over Aetheria, a molten coin sinking into the horizon, casting jagged shadows across the cracked earth. Lira crouched in the ruins of Veylan’s Keep, her fingers tracing the etchings on a stone tablet buried beneath layers…
## Lumina’s Echo The rain tasted like ash, a familiar tang on Elara’s tongue. She knelt beside the obsidian monolith, its surface slick with falling stars – not actual stars, of course. Lumina dust. Tiny slivers of solidified light shed…
The grit tasted of regret. Ada spat, the fine red dust coating her tongue like a second skin. Eldan hadn’t just *fallen* to the storms; it had been *eaten*. One moment, carved sandstone buildings gleamed, the next, swallowed whole by…
Elisa’s shoulders bunched, a tight knot beneath worn leather. Dust motes danced in the single shaft of light slicing through the high, barred window. Years had scraped against her, leaving a residue of mistrust. “Release it.” Forian’s fingers, calloused and…