Act I – The Ascent Mist clung to the ridgelines like a second skin, a gray-blue breath that softened the sawteeth of the Appalachians until they looked almost merciful. Cole guided his old pickup along the ribbon of two-lane road that threaded through the hills, one hand steady on the wheel, the other worrying the fray on the cuff of his jacket. The radio had given up on music two counties back and settled into a low static that reminded him of rain on a tent. He let it whisper. The air...

Part One: Flight Across the Desert The highway stretched like a black ribbon through the desert night, its edges swallowed by sand and...

The Struggles of a Young Smith The winter wind clawed through the village, sharp as a knife, carrying the smell of smoke and sickness. Frost clung to the thatched roofs, turning every breath into a ghost. Inside the forge, the fire roared, but Darian still shivered. Sweat slid down his soot-streaked face as he fought with the iron bar glowing in his tongs. He had hammered it flat, then curved it, only to watch cracks spread like veins through its surface. Another day ruined. He cursed under...