The forge’s embers pulsed like dying stars, casting jagged shadows across Kael’s calloused hands. He hammered the iron with a rhythm as old as the mountain itself, each strike resonating through his bones. The air reeked of smoke and sweat,…
The air stank of burnt cedar as Lira pressed her palm to the scarred trunk of the ancient oak, fingers sinking into the fissured bark. A pulse thrummed beneath her skin, steady and deliberate, like a second heartbeat synced to…
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 air in Kael’s workshop reeked of iron and burnt oak, the scent clinging to his skin like a second layer. His hammer struck the anvil with a rhythm that had not faltered in twenty years, each blow shaping molten…
The air in Vareth stank of rust and old blood, a metallic tang that clung to the back of Kaela’s throat. She pressed her palm against the cold iron gate of the lower district, feeling the vibrations of something deep…
The air in Tharvyn stank of burnt sage and old iron. Kael crouched beside the riverbank, fingers pressing into the damp earth as he scanned the tangled reeds. Somewhere in the muck, the vial lay hidden—a glass capsule no larger…
The wind howled through the pines as Lira pressed her palm against the cold stone of the ancient ruins, her breath fogging in the pre-dawn air. The village of Tharion lay behind her, its thatched roofs glinting faintly under the…
The air stank of iron and pine as Kael drove his blade into the creature’s throat, its obsidian scales slick with rain. The thing convulsed, a guttural shriek tearing from its maw, and Kael wrenched the sword free, spitting blood…
The air smelled of ozone and iron as Kaelen stepped over the cracked stone, his boots crunching on fragments of what had once been a gateway. The sky above twisted in slow, serpentine coils, its usual blue replaced by a…
The air in Elmhollow reeked of burnt pine and iron. Kael stood at the edge of the village square, his fingers curling around the hilt of his dagger as the sky above split open. A jagged tear, wider than a…
The air in Lysara reeked of iron and ash, a stale reminder of the war that had scorched the land a century past. Kael’s boots crunched over broken stone as he traced the edge of the ruins, his fingers brushing…
The air in Emberfall reeked of burning oil and damp stone, a scent Kaela had known her entire life. She stood atop the crumbling tower, her fingers curled around the cold iron railing, watching the sky bleed crimson. The city…
The air tasted of iron and ash as Kael tightened his grip on the rusted dagger. The forest around him pulsed, not with life, but with something older—something hungry. His boots crunched over brittle branches, each snap echoing like a…
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 Weaver’s Bloom The dust tasted like regret. It coated everything in Veridium – the crumbling facades of jade-carved buildings, the cracked paving stones under Elara’s boots, even the inside of her throat. Veridium was dying. Everyone knew it.…