The green hills of Crovaria stretched wide beneath our wings, blanketed in early spring mist. It was beautiful in a way that ached — not grand like Flurris’s mountains or wild like Ocecadis’s reefs.
This was quieter beauty. Humble. Worn by time and seasons.
I adjusted my flight path, drawing closer to Cadmus as we descended toward the capital.
The Crovarian border passed without celebration—just a check-in from the local guard and a formal nod from a stone-faced officer. Wyvern glanced at Cadmus in the carriage, his jaw set, his eyes forward.
The road into the capital, Viremont, was pristine, yet eerily still. No banners waved from rooftops. No children ran alongside the carriage. Even the usual hum of curiosity was absent.
The streets of Crovaria were quiet. Too quiet. No flags. No c
