Selene stood beyond the city, where the wind carried the scent of stone and iron, the distant smoke of hearths, and the faint pulse of life threading through the streets below. She did not move among them. She did not touch the wards or whisper to the towers. She only watched.

The city beneath her shimmered in ways no one could fully name. Roofs shifted as if breathing, street tiles leaned subtly, fountains hesitated mid-splash, and the river curved in arcs no map could claim were fixed. ...