*24 May, year 1548, Sky City Academy, Professors' District*
The silence of the room was broken only by the whistling of the wind against the crystal panes of the floating academy. Dyana Donoghan was sitting on the edge of her bed, her slender fingers clenched on the purple silk sheets. She stared into the void, her mind still clouded by memories of Kaiser's skin against hers, a sensation that seemed to be the only real thing in her existence as a fallen duchess.
There was a knock at the door. A messenger entered, his face deathly pale, his hands trembling so hard that the wax seal on the letter he carried seemed on the verge of breaking.
"Madam Duchess... reports have just arrived..." the man began in a choked voice.
Dyana did not move. She felt an icy pressure settle in her chest.
"Paragon County... it has been attacked by the forces of the Spectrum... it has been completely destroyed. Nothing remains, madam..." the messenger continued in a breath.
