Mira’s fingers trembled as she traced the rusted hinges of the hidden door, the salt air thick with the scent of brine and something older—something metallic, like blood dried to dust. The lighthouse had always been a tomb, its spiral…
The air reeked of ozone and decay as Kael Vorn stepped onto the crimson soil of Virelia, his boots sinking into the fine dust. The twin suns hung low on the horizon, casting jagged shadows across the cracked landscape. He…
The salt air clung to Mara’s skin as she climbed the lighthouse stairs, each step a creak of memory. The beam swept across the darkened shore, painting the rocks in silver streaks. She hadn’t meant to come here, not after…
The air inside the shuttle was thin, almost metallic, as if the oxygen had been filtered through rusted pipes. Commander Lira Voss gripped the armrests of her seat, her knuckles white. Outside the viewport, the planet Oris-9 loomed—a swirling mass…
The attic smelled of dust and forgotten things. I’d never been up here before, not really. Mom’s voice echoed in my head—”You’ll find what you need when you’re ready.” But I wasn’t ready. Not for this. The boards groaned beneath…
The rain tapped the window like a stranger knocking for entry. Mara pulled her coat tighter, fingers brushing the cold glass. The town of Black Hollow had always felt like a place between worlds, its pines thick with secrets and…
The air smelled like rust and wet earth when Lila found the journal. She’d been digging through the attic of her grandmother’s house, searching for old photos, when her fingers brushed against the leather cover. It was cracked, the edges…
The air in the command module tasted like metal and static, a thin layer of dust clinging to every surface. Captain Elara Voss adjusted her gloves, the synthetic fibers creaking as she leaned over the control panel. Outside the viewport,…
Mara’s boots crunched over frost-brittle twigs as she followed the narrow path, her breath a pale cloud in the predawn air. The forest around her was a cathedral of shadow and silence, branches skeletal against the indigo sky. She hadn’t…
The static crackled like dry bones in the void of space, a sound that had haunted K-7’s ears for three years. The station’s hull groaned as it drifted through the asteroid belt, its solar panels flickering weakly under a dim…
Mara’s boots crunched over gravel as she climbed the hill, the wind tugging at her jacket like a desperate hand. The lighthouse stood ahead, its white stone weathered to a dull gray, the glass of its dome shattered in places.…
The facility hummed like a trapped insect, its steel bones creaking under the weight of storm clouds. Dr. Elara Voss stepped from the jeep, her boots crunching gravel as she stared at the structure ahead. The building was a jagged…
The air inside the dome tasted metallic, like rusted steel and burnt ozone. Kael Vorn wiped sweat from his brow, his gloves leaving streaks of grime on the visor. Outside, the sky of Lirion churned in hues of violet and…
The salt-kissed air bit at Clara’s cheeks as she trudged through the tide-puddled dock, her boots squelching with each step. The journal had been hidden beneath a loose plank, its leather cover cracked and brittle. She pried it free, fingers…
The air reeked of iron and damp earth as Lila stepped off the creaking wagon, her boots sinking into the dust. The town of Red Creek stretched before her, a ragged line of wooden buildings hunched against the Sierra Nevada’s…