Sparks in the Dusk

The twilight sky hung low and bruised above Vesh Keep as Calder Vesh rode through the Great Gate, the Ember Gauntlet's glow muted against the dying light. Behind him, the courtyard lanterns flickered awake, revealing long shadows cast by newly constructed ramparts and fresh banners of alliance. The air smelled of embers and oil—both promise and warning in its heat.

He dismounted before the Council Hall, where Lady Elinora, Captain Roq, and Master Soren waited in silent vigil. Each bore the weariness of countless trials, but their eyes burned with the same unquenchable fire. Calder's chest tightened; even victory lay heavy on their shoulders.

"Reports from the western passes," Elinora said, voice low. "Sand-shadow raiders harry the caravan routes. They strike at night and vanish before dawn."

Roq's hand tightened on his shield. "They bear no flag but cruelty. Our scouts say they test every guard, looking for gaps."

Master Soren spread ancient maps across a stone table, runes catching the lantern glow. "Worse still," he murmured, "arcane anomalies ripple through the ley-lines. Automata go rogue without command, and near the Isle of Whispers, runeseals falter."

Calder absorbed their words, each a spark threatening to ignite chaos across the Ember Age. He lifted his gauntlet, embers pulsing with quiet resolve. "Then we ride at once," he declared. "I lead a strike at the raiders' stronghold before they reach the heartlands. Elinora, you guard the desert roads. Roq, secure the passes. Soren, convene the mages to reinforce the seals."

They nodded, swift as blades drawn at sunset. As Calder mounted, Arika cascaded circles overhead, its brass wings reflecting torchlight like watchful stars.

He set out through the Eastern Gate, the countryside stretching silent under the dusk's embrace. Each mile carried echoes of past triumphs and the tremor of fresh embers—reminders that even the gentlest glow can flare into inferno if left untended.

Ahead, the horizon smoldered with the raiders' campfires, a constellation of defiance against the growing dark. Calder's heart hammered. It is here we prove our forge holds—or breaks.

As he spurred his mount toward the distant flames, the Ember Court's newest era began in earnest: a battle not only for territory, but for the fragile unity of a world reborn from its own ashes.

And in the gathering dusk, Calder Vesh rode to meet the spark that would either warm their future… or consume it entirely.