Dawn broke over the jagged crags of Obsidian Ridge not in gold, but in a harsh, cold violet that bled across the frozen sky. The sub-zero winds howled through the towering granite battlements, carrying the scent of ion storm clouds and crushed pine. Inside the Citadel’s high glass medical wing, the ambient temperature was kept strictly controlled by massive steam radiators and solar-infused runestones that glowed with a faint, pulsing ember light.Lyra stood beside the high arched window, her hands resting quietly against the stone sill as she looked down at the courtyard below. Even at this early hour, the fortress was a hive of intense, disciplined activity. Elite Obsidian Ridge shock-troopers in heavy, shadow-forged armor were assembling mobile anti-air batteries, loading dark-silver ammunition crates onto armored transports, and fortifying the outer perimeter gates. The quiet peace of the night before had dissolved into the grim, focused reality of imminent total war.Behind her,
Last Updated : 2026-08-31 Read more