The moon hung high and unblinking above Ardent Spire, swathed in a serene silver haze.
The great city shimmered beneath it, veiled in thousands upon thousands of glowing lights, every street soaked in luminous threads of mana-lanterns that floated like drifting stars.
Music echoed from crystal speakers embedded into the high walls of buildings, their tones soft, ceremonial, and deeply resonant, a perfect backdrop to the scene.
Laughter, light and unburdened, blended with the delicate chime of wind chimes strung between balconies. Children, their faces painted with whimsical moon sigils, danced freely between the floating ribbons of silver light, dressed in imitation mage-robes that billowed behind them.
Kael stood at the intersection of two major streets, a quiet sentinel amidst the unfolding spectacle.
He wore the faction-assigned light gray cloak, its silver clasp glinting faintly under the soft, diffused lantern light.
