Chapter 213

The city rose from a gentle basin of land, its buildings symmetrical, its streets clean and measured. Water ran through carved channels that had not overflowed in years. Markets operated without raised voices. Decisions were posted publicly with clear explanations and timelines.

No one seemed dissatisfied.

No one seemed particularly alive, either.

Kaia stayed three days before anyone asked her name.

That, more than anything, unsettled her.

—

The Quiet City prided itself on ...