Kai stood on the highest intact balcony of the royal tower the next morning.
He looked out over the sprawling expanse of his new city.
A thin layer of frost still covered the sandstone rooftops and the winding cobblestone streets below.
The ice melted slowly under the harsh glare of the rising desert sun.
The sudden sight of snow in Sunfall Oasis had already become legend among the surviving people.
Some ordinary citizens called it a divine miracle.
Others whispered in the shadows that it was a dark curse.
Yena stood right beside him with her arms crossed over her leather chest plate.
She watched the rising chaos in the lower districts with a sharp, calculating eye.
Freed slaves were actively rioting in the merchant markets, overturning stalls and demanding food.
Surviving nobles frantically tried to barricade themselves inside their lavish estates.
"You have a massive rebellion on your hands already," Yena pointed out, nodding toward the smoke rising from the lower rings.
