The air in Veylan’s Hollow reeked of damp earth and decay, a stench that clung to Kael’s skin like a second layer. He knelt beside the riverbank, fingers sifting through gravel, searching for the shard his mother had whispered about.…
The air in Emberfall reeked of burnt iron and ash, a scent as familiar to Elira as the pulse of her own heartbeat. She stood at the edge of the marketplace, her calloused fingers tightening around the hilt of her…
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 reeked of burnt oak and iron as Kael stumbled through the village square, his boots crunching over shattered pottery. Smoke coiled in jagged tendrils from the charred remains of the central lantern, its oil-fed flame guttering like a…
The air in the library reeked of dust and burnt parchment, a stench that clung to Kael’s skin like a second layer. His fingers, calloused from years of handling brittle pages, trembled as they traced the faded script on the…
The sky above Veyra bled crimson, a slow, viscous drip of color that clung to the horizon like a wound. Lira stood at the edge of the Obsidian Spire, her fingers curled around the cold iron railing, watching the sun…
The air in Emberfall reeked of burnt pitch and damp stone, a sour tang that clung to Kael’s throat as he trudged through the village square. Lanterns flickered along the cobbled paths, their flames dimmer than they’d been a fortnight…
The air in Duskspire reeked of damp stone and old blood. Kael pulled his cloak tighter, the fabric stiff with dust from the abandoned cathedral’s forgotten corridors. Shadows clung to the walls like spiders, stretching and twitching as his boots…
The air in Veyra stank of damp stone and old smoke, a thick miasma that clung to Kaela’s skin as she slipped through the labyrinth of narrow alleys. Her boots scraped against cracked cobblestones, each step echoing like a whispered…
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…
The sky above Thalorien had turned the color of bruised flesh, a sickly purple that bled into the horizon like ink in water. Kael stood at the edge of the Obsidian Spire, his boots crunching over shattered glass from the…
## The Chroma Inheritance The scent of aged paper and leather always clung to Eleanor Vance. It permeated her clothes, settled in the deep valleys of her face, and seemed woven into the very air surrounding her. As chief librarian…
## The Lumina Weaver The salt spray stung Elara’s face as she wrestled with the submersible’s hatch. Gears groaned, a rusty protest against her persistent tugging. Beneath the churning turquoise of the Azure Sea lay more than just coral reefs…
## The Glass & the Ghost Light The chipped enamel of Esme’s mug warmed her palms. Rain lashed against the corrugated iron roof, a drumbeat mirroring the thrum in her skull. She traced the hairline fracture spiderwebbing across the porcelain,…
The dust tasted like regret. Fine, ochre powder clung to my tongue, coating the back of my throat with a grit that mirrored the weight in my chest. I watched Veridia shrink beneath the grey, and it wasn’t a romantic…