The manor was even grander up close.
Emiko led them in through the back gate, and stepping inside felt like entering a different world entirely. Behind the manor stretched neat rows of crops swaying gently in the breeze. Sunlight poured over fields of wheat, corn, and millet.
Ahead, one half of the farmland was golden with grain, while the other was lined with vibrant orange trees.
The air was rich with the scent of citrus and damp soil, mingled with the soft hum of pollinators. Modern irrigation channels wound between the rows, and wooden stakes marked the boundaries, giving the land a timeless, pastoral charm.
A few farmers in wide brimmed hats moved through the crops, their hands dusty from tending the earth. Others gathered fallen fruit beneath the trees.
Kiah squinted against the sunlight as the breeze stirred her clothes. Her feet sank slightly into the soft ground — a sensation so different from Duskworn's gritty dust that it felt unreal.
