KIRAA quiet, profound stillness fell across the High Keep as the last stars faded into the soft, velvet grey of the final pre-dawn hour.High above the timber arches, the eastern horizon began to glow with a soft, iridescent pearl light, slowly fanning out into warm rose and pale gold across the jagged crests of the Western Range. A gentle, pine-scented breeze swept down from the upper peaks, rustling through the mountain cedar and carrying up from the valley basin the crisp, clean scents of damp slate, wild juniper, and the sweet, lingering woodsmoke of forty thousand peaceful hearths.Down below, the sanctuary of Sun Ridge lay in absolute tranquility. The long cobblestone avenues wound gracefully through the sleeping territories, lit by the quiet, amber glow of the morning lanterns. The joint patrols of human guards and shifter scouts walked their final rounds with easy, companionable strides—sentinels of an enduring harmony that eighty years of devotion, vision, and sacrifice had
Last Updated : 2026-09-24 Read more