Chapter 1: Ashes of the Spire The Iron Spire pierced a smog-choked sky, a colossus of brass and iron, its factories belching steam that seared Jimmy Chilla’s throat with acrid heat. Gears groaned like dying beasts, airships droned above, casting shadows that sliced through slums where workers toiled, hands blackened by soot, faces etched with despair. Amber lanterns cast flickering...

Part 1: The Embered Crucible The Ashen Wastes sprawled beneath a celestial veil of violet and starfire, obsidian fissures snaking through the scorched earth, exhaling sulfur wisps that glowed faintly in the twilight. Kaelith Veyne crouched beside a jagged outcrop, her amber eyes scanning the horizon, raven tresses spilling over her scorched leather tunic, its blackened seams clinging to her...