A figure stepped through the shadow.
His black hair drank in the moonlight rather than reflecting it, and his eyes, dark and steady, caught the ambient glow of the city around him in a way that made them stand out even within the deep shadow he had emerged from.
He paused at the threshold between the shadow and the open street, taking in what lay before him with unhurried attention.
"The continent has long stabilised, but the scent of war remains," Alex murmured, feeling all too familiar, scent invisible to all but a few.
He stepped out from the shadow and let his senses expand across the city, stretching around him in every direction.
The place was vast. Its architecture was grand and ancient, filled with towering domes and spires and wide stone bridges that connected elevated districts across open air, layered palaces rising in tiers that looked simultaneously royal and beautiful.
