Wind markets

The city stretched out before them like a vibrant canvas amidst the fierce winds. Narrow streets teemed with merchants and carts, colorful flags fluttered between tall mud buildings, and the scent of spices and hot iron filled the air. This was the City of Winds, the commercial heart of the Liberated Lands, where people gathered to exchange goods, news, and dreams.

Eren walked alongside Leylin through the busy market, observing piles of metal, bags of grain and seeds, and weapons made from steel reclaimed from the war's remains.

Lellin looked at the children running between the stalls, saying, "These... deserve a world where they never fear the shadows."

Eren nodded, his face stern. "That's why we're here... we need to secure resources to rebuild the Liberated Lands... and the city here is the supply heart for everyone."

Eren met with the market chief, a large, white-bearded man known as Hajj Rima. He smiled as he served them tea, saying, "We know what you've done in the north... and the tribes that have joined you. We want to help you, but the Shadows... even here... are trading with us in secret."

Eren and Leylin exchanged quick glances. Leylin asked, "What do you mean by Shadow Traders?"

Hajj Rima sighed. "There are those who sell the Ashes of Shadows on the black market... They use it as a weapon, or they sell people's secrets to the remaining Shadow factions... If we don't stop them, they will take us back to the Dark Ages."

Eren stood up and said confidently, "We will expose them tonight... and end this trade once and for all."

At night, the wind drifted through the narrow alleys as Leylin watched the market from the rooftops, watching for suspicious movements. As for Eren, he used the wind to detect hidden voices within the walls, picking up forbidden words exchanged between some of the merchants.

He heard one of them say:

The next shipment of Shadow Ashes will arrive tonight... We will destroy everything those fools have built with fire and wind.

Eren crept behind the shifting shadows and signaled to Leylin, who quickly leaped up, descended between the crates, grabbed the Shadow Merchant, and threw him to the ground.

The merchant shouted:

No! Don't kill me!

Eren approached, the wind swirling around him.

"Where are the Ashes hidden?" he asked.

Under threat, the merchant confessed the location of the secret storehouse beneath the marketplace, where bags of black ash were stored in wooden crates, ready for sale to rebels in various locations.

Eren and Leylin stormed the storehouse, where they encountered armed Shadow Guards. Leylin used her fire to light the darkness, while Eren unleashed fierce winds that cut off the escapees.

The battle was swift but decisive. With the last guard down, Leylin set fire to the ash bags, sending black smoke billowing upwards. But the winds Eren unleashed blew the smoke away, preventing the people in the marketplace from suffocating.

In the morning, the people gathered around the remaining fire, where Hajj Rima announced:

From today, the Wind Markets will be free of shadows... and we will allocate a portion of the market profits to support the reconstruction of the liberated lands under the banner of Wind and Fire.

Eren smiled and said in a voice that the people could hear:

We will rebuild this world... stone by stone... until the ashes never return.

Standing beside him, Leylin looked out into the horizon and said:

This is just the beginning... the land awaits us.

As the winds blew through the marketplace, and the fire burned in the small altar at the center of the city, the people felt something they hadn't felt in a long time... hope.