The City of First Light had no sunrise.
Instead, it awoke to music.
It began as a low hum deep beneath the stone, a resonant vibration like a heartbeat hidden in the earth. Then, one by one, came the voices of the city: the chime of the sky lanterns swaying above rooftops, the soft pulse of the stream weaving through the center plaza, the hush of leaves unfurling and petals stretching open to the morning.
Towers leaned, just slightly, to better catch the song. Sidewalks smoothed. Windows shifted hue to match the light.
Eleanor lay in her bed at the center of it all, heart wrapped in the sound. And for once, she did not rise with worry.
She rose with wonder.
A Letter From Halcyra
The letter arrived on wings woven from frost and soft light.
Halcyra had not written since she'd vanished into the far edges of the veil. Most had assumed she had chosen silence, perhaps even isolation.
But now, as Eleanor held the crystal-sealed parchment in her hands, her pulse quickened.
