The tension hung in the air like the rigging before a storm. It wasn't a storm that arrived in thunder and rain, but something darker, something primitive — something that had been restrained for too long. The full moon hung high above Velnair, sloshing its silver light across the city, speckling the cobblestone roads and the old conical towers. It was like the city itself was holding its breath, preparing for the unavoidable.
Serena leaned out over the balcony and looked up into the night. The flame at her side had become agitated, brushing over to answer the solid moonlight. It wasn't just the city waking; it was something within it — something waking inside her, an internal hunger that she hadn't fully comprehended until she had spent time in this city, until that moment.
