The *Odyssey’s Wake* hung in the void like a rusted skeleton, its hull pitted by centuries of solar winds. Commander Rhea Voss adjusted her helmet, the hiss of her suit’s life support a constant companion. Outside, the blackness pressed against…
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…
Clara Henshaw stepped off the creaking wagon in the heart of a town that reeked of pine resin and sweat. The air hung thick with the scent of smoke from a hundred smoldering fires, and the sun blazed down like…
The air on Virelia pressed against Kael’s suit like a living thing, thick and metallic, tasting of rust and ozone. His boots crunched over jagged black stone as he moved toward the central tower, its spire piercing the violet sky.…
The sun hung low over the Sierra Nevada, casting long shadows across the trail as Eleanor tightened the reins on her mule. The air reeked of dust and sweat, a thick haze that clung to her skin and stung her…
The *Aurora* hung in the void like a steel scar against the black, its hull glinting under the pale light of Epsilon Eridani. Captain Mara Voss stood at the observation deck, her boots clanking against the grated floor as she…
The salt-kissed air bit at Elara’s cheeks as she climbed the lighthouse stairs, her boots echoing against the rusted metal. The storm had blown itself out hours ago, leaving the coast in a brittle stillness. She’d come to clear out…
The forest breathed in Lira’s presence, its ancient roots coiling like serpents beneath the moss-laden earth. She knelt at the base of the elderwood, fingers brushing the gnarled bark until it hummed beneath her touch—a sound like wind through hollow…
Dr. Elara Voss adjusted the headset, her breath fogging the glass as she stared at the pulsing light on the monitor. The signal had been silent for three years, then suddenly—this. A pattern, too precise to be natural, bouncing off…
The air on Vespera-9 tasted metallic, like rusted iron and burnt ozone. Dr. Elara Voss adjusted her visor, squinting at the horizon where the twin suns cast long shadows over the crystalline plains. Her team’s shuttle had landed three days…
In the autumn of 1776, the air hung thick with smoke and the metallic tang of blood. Eliza Whitaker moved through the makeshift hospital tent, her hands steady as she pressed a cloth to a soldier’s chest wound. The man’s…
The air inside the dome hissed like a wounded thing, a low, persistent whine that scraped against Mara Voss’s teeth. She pressed her palm to the glass, feeling the cold seep through her gloves, and stared at the horizon where…
The salt-kissed wind howled through the skeletal remains of the town as Mara stepped off the rusted ferry, her boots crunching over gravel that had once been a street. The lighthouse stood ahead, its white tower leaning like a drunkard,…
Clara Whitaker knelt in the dirt, her fingers digging into the soil as if she could unearth answers buried beneath the earth. The morning air smelled of smoke and damp clay, a reminder of the fire that had consumed the…
The sky above Emberfall bled red, a slow, viscous stain that clung to the horizon like spilled ink. Kael stood at the edge of the village, his boots sinking into the ash-choked soil. The air reeked of sulfur and burnt…