The air reeked of iron and ash as Kael dragged his blade from the mud, its edge chipped from the clash. The battlefield sprawled behind him—skeletal trees, half-buried wagons, the shattered remains of a dozen banners. He wiped blood from…
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 Taste of Ash The flour dusted Elara’s hands, a comforting weight. She kneaded the dough with practiced ease, the rhythmic push and pull familiar as her own heartbeat. Outside, rain lashed against the bakery’s windows—a relentless drumming that…
## Ghost Echo The rain tasted like rust. Finn wiped a smear of it from his cheek, the neon glare of the Neon Drift market blurring through the downpour. He tugged the hood of his worn jacket tighter, ignoring the…
## The Silk & Steel Knot The dust tasted of cinnamon and regret. Old Man Tiber, they called him – though few knew his true name – adjusted the worn silk scarf shielding his face from the relentless Beijing sun.…