After the Battle
The smoke of the retreating fleet had barely faded when Hei Long called the council together again. The silver walls still glimmered, the streams ran clear, but the murals now showed a city that had defended itself. Sparks glowed steady in every palm. The first Gathering had turned into the first defense — and had held.
Hei Long stood at the Temple's center, his cloak trailing, the Origin's glow steady beneath it. His three flames flanked him. "We kept the hearth," he said quietly. "Now we will light another."
Qingxue tilted her head, eyes sharp. "A second city?"Yexin's smirk flickered, foxfire rising at her fingertips. "Another story."Yuran's glow brightened, steady and warm. "A wider fire."
Hei Long nodded once.
Planning the Second City
