Chapter 134 - The Obsidian Kernel

The transition from the lush, humid air of the Capital to the biting, crystalline chill of the North was a physical shock that no heating-charm could fully mitigate. On the deck of the return skiff, the temperature dropped a degree for every ten miles we surged along the ley-line, the wind whistling through the Star-Iron dampeners like a choir of angry ghosts. I stood at the prow, my hands buried deep in the pockets of my coat, watching the horizon. The sky was a bruised purple, but ahead of us, the indigo glow of Valmere was already beginning to dominate the stars. It was a beacon of logic in a world that was suddenly feeling very fragile.