The Weight of Silence
The air in Veylan hung thick with the scent of burnt sage and iron, a fragrance that clung to the skin like a second layer. Kaela moved through the market square, her boots crunching over gravel as she avoided the…
urban setting
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The Static Bloom
## The Static Bloom The chipped Formica of the diner booth stuck to Leo Maxwell’s elbows. Rain smeared the neon sign outside, turning “Rosie’s” into a blurry pink wound against the gray Tuesday night. He hadn’t tasted coffee in… well,…
The Sight of Janek
The fever rattled Janek’s bones. Not the heat, though that clung like wet wool, but the *seeing*. It began with soot. The way it swirled from the flues, settling not as darkness, but as… shapes. Patterns. Like the butcher’s tally…
Beneath the Lantern Light
Under an ink-black sky scattered with stars, Lily sat perched atop the park’s iron bench. Her heart danced like the flames of lanterns strung above her. This was a secret gathering of love-lorn poets, where hearts beat rhythmically beneath their…