The air aboard the *Odyssey* tasted metallic, a constant reminder of the ship’s failing life-support systems. Captain Renn Kael adjusted his gloves, the synthetic fibers stiff under his fingers, and stared at the data stream flickering across the holo-screen. The…
Mara stepped off the bus, her boots crunching on gravel as the salt-tinged wind tugged at her coat. The town of Seabrook stretched before her, its weathered cottages huddled like secrets against the cliffs. She hadn’t set foot here since…
The morning air hung thick with the scent of rain-soaked earth and decaying leaves, a cloying perfume that clung to Clara’s coat as she stepped off the rusted bus. The town of Blackmoor sprawled before her, its crooked buildings leaning…
The sky above Kaelos burned with hues no human had ever seen—deep violets and shifting greens that pulsed like a living thing. Captain Elara Voss stood at the edge of the research outpost, her boots crunching on the crystalline dust…
The air smelled of salt and decay when Lila first saw the girl in the mirror. It was 3:17 a.m., and the bathroom light buzzed like a trapped wasp. Lila’s reflection stared back, but the girl in the glass had…
The first time Leo saw Clara, she was kneading dough in the dim light of The Crust, her sleeves rolled to her elbows, flour dusting her forearms like snow. The bell above the door jingled as he stepped inside, and…
The dust clung to Elara Thorne’s boots as she stepped off the wagon, her fingers curling around the leather-bound journal tucked beneath her coat. The air reeked of pine resin and sweat, a thick haze that made the sun feel…
The ship ruptured at 30,000 meters, its hull screaming like a blade through flesh. Captain Mara Voss gripped the controls, her knuckles white as the altimeter spun. Below, Virelia’s surface loomed—a sapphire expanse flecked with obsidian scars. The mist clung…
The saltwater air bit through Lila Voss’s jacket as she stood at the edge of the dock, her boots sinking into the damp wood. The ocean stretched endless ahead, its surface shimmering under the pale sun, but her eyes were…
The air inside the facility hummed with a low, electric charge, like the moment before a storm. Dr. Elara Voss adjusted her gloves, the synthetic material creaking as she stepped into the containment chamber. The glass walls shimmered under the…
The first time she saw him, the tide was pulling back, revealing a labyrinth of slick gray rocks glistening under the sun. Mara knelt at the edge of the water, her fingers tracing the ridges of a barnacle-encrusted stone, when…
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 *Odyssey* drifted through the void, its hull scarred by decades of interstellar travel. Captain Mara Voss stood at the observation deck, her gloved hand pressing against the cold glass as she stared at the derelict ship ahead. It hung…
The first time Jessa found the key, it was buried in the dirt behind the old mill, rusted and cold to the touch. She dug it out with her fingers, nails breaking under the weight of the soil, and held…
Dr. Elara Voss pressed her palm to the glass, feeling a hum beneath her skin. The chamber’s cold air bit through her lab coat, but the vibration in the floorboards kept her rooted. Inside the containment unit, the artifact pulsed—a…