Chapter 157 - Beneath the Crimson Sky

The transformation of the sky began as they left the ruined palace, a gradual shift from the sickly yellow-gray twilight that had dominated the Kingdom of Smoke to something far more ominous. At first, it was merely a tinge of copper along the horizon, easily mistaken for the reflection of distant fires or the last gasps of some dying star. But as they walked across the ash-covered landscape, the color deepened and spread, painting the heavens in shades of arterial blood that seemed to pulse with a rhythm disturbingly similar to a cosmic heartbeat.