Chapter 36: Echoes of the Imperium
The horizon was painted in gold and lavender when we finally left Magnolia City behind. Dawn had just begun to stretch its fingers across the heavens, scattering light upon the mist-veiled forests and cobblestone roads ahead of us. The city gates groaned open as we passed through, and I took one last glance at the smoke curling faintly from the rooftops — remnants of our battle against the Nightwalker.
We had won, but the weight of what we uncovered clung to the air like the morning fog.
No one spoke for the first few miles. It wasn’t the kind of silence that asked to be broken — it was the sort that settled over you like a cloak, heavy and thoughtful. Santina’s gaze was fixed on the road, her fingers idly twisting the pendant around her neck. Helios
