Chapter 75: Ashes into Architecture
Dawn crept into Evershade like someone afraid to intrude.
Not a sunrise—
a hesitation.
Gray light pooled between the broken roofs and half-built beams, turning every plank and splinter into a ghost. The air smelled of wet earth and dying embers, a scent of rain meeting soot. When I sat up, the movement sent a dull, throbbing ache through my ribs and spine—
a reminder of how hard I’d pushed yesterday.
Time magic leaves scars you can’t see.
My fingertips were still cold from holding a spell that refused to be held.
But then—
Laughter.
Small. Breathless.
Disbelieving, as if joy was something they were relearning.
I blinked the fatigue away.
Children were chasing Ruby.
No—
hunting Ruby.
They swarmed around her like tiny wolves, clutching make
