Chapter 15: The Ashen Sigil
Morning in the village came with the smell of fresh bread, dew on the fields, and a strange silence. Elric awoke early, not from a dream, but from instinct. A gnawing feeling—like something unseen had shifted.
Lira entered with a tray of herbs and warm tea. "You're up early again," she said softly.
"I never really slept," Elric replied, rubbing his temples. "Something's wrong."
She placed the tea down. "Is it about that woman?"
"No," he muttered. "It's something else."
He walked to the window. Smoke curled from the eastern sky. Not fire. Not burning wood.
> It was ash.
---
Elric and Lira made their way beyond the village edge. What they found there stopped them both cold.