The sky above them was awash with deep purples and molten gold, like a spilled painting stretching from one jagged horizon to the other. The sun hovered just overhead, casting long, surreal shadows that danced over the cracked stone path winding eastward.
Bonewhite trees lined the road, their translucent leaves whispering in the wind, delicately rustling like glass chimes in a distant temple. The air was crisp and dry, carrying the faint scent of ozone and something wilder—an animalistic musk that clung faintly to the breeze, warning of danger yet unseen.
