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Cling-cling-cling. I weave my way between slot machines that clink, jingle, and chime. The racket is deafening—shrill bells, cacophonous trills, the clatter of coins spilling into cups and metallic trays. How do people stand this constant noise, enduring the ruckus without becoming dazed within minutes?

I don’t know how he can even look at himself in the mirror anymore!’ Sigismar slams his fist against the wall, making me jump, and Wingspan hisses.

‘Continuity or deviation. These are now the choices facing the Asgarthans.’ Anuncia gazes toward the stage, narrowing her eyes to focus not just on the words her rival will use but on his posture, his diction, and the tone he employs. What strategy will he choose? Humility? Caution? Or arrogance?

Subhash exhales loudly and slams his mug down on the table, making the wood creak and the utensils clatter. He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand before hailing the waitress to bring him another pint.

The truth. It was never singular, always plural. Only by comparing all the truths together could one come close to a semblance of certainty... But the closer it seemed to be within reach, the more it slipped away, like a mirage that can never be attained. Those who claimed otherwise were either fools or zealots.

As she exhales, a plume of vapor escapes her mouth and drifts into the air, carried away by a biting wind. The sky holds the colors of a storm. Dark, rumbling clouds gather beyond the snow-covered peaks, as if furious to see them reclaim the fortress of Cebir.

It is coming. In a deluge of churning waves, the water of the bay dips and collapses, while a hissing swell rises around the edge of the funnel. In the center, a roaring vortex is forming, like a furious spiral, an open mouth into the abyss. The wind has changed, carrying a scent of ozone, as a thin drizzle begins to fall. Descending from the grassy dunes battered by stinging gusts, the infantry of the Aegis begins its maneuvers, divided into four carefully ordered battalions.

It was a summer afternoon. Pollen drifted through the air, while in the fields, sickles and scythes fell on the wheat heads. Not far from the mill, flails threshed the grain, as the sweet song of the winnowers echoed. Idle children played in the straw, laughing loudly, while forks and hooks piled up bundles of hay in the barns.

The brass band marches down the jam-packed street, while trumpets and sousaphones echo, cymbals clash, and drums bang in joyful chaos. Nev looks around at the crowd following the parade or bustling around the various stalls.

The Guild Master nervously taps the table with his fingers. Around him, the other members of the Guild Assembly chatter and shout in a deafening uproar. On one side, supporters of the Basileus shake their heads, outraged. On the other side, his opponents boo and yell, pounding their fists or feet to drown the amphitheater in the most irritating racket.

The leaves rain around me like a rosy cloud falling from the canopy. I watch them dance, collide, and resume their indolent waltz before settling on the mossy ground. I pick one up and observe the whitish veins running across its surface.

Itoro swung her massive brush through the air, scattering droplets of ink around her before striking the ground with force. The black liquid traced shapes on the stone, seeped into the cracks, stained the cobblestones, and from these obsidian strokes sprang countless soot sparrows. They flapped their wings - pulsing masses of dark pigment - before flying off into the distance, each carrying a message, a summons.

The Aegis sentinel opened the door and stepped aside to let her pass, nodding in greeting as she went by. Behind her, the Basileus' chambers were shrouded in darkness, their atmosphere thick with incense and the heady fragrance of ointments.

Through the Rediscovery Endeavor, it's the entire people of Asgartha who are now set in motion.