The dawn broke slow over the high ridge, brushing the cracked plains with a pale, uncertain light. The forest had long since receded, replaced now by a wide basin of red stone and dry wind. Smoke curled from far-off fissures, and the horizon pulsed faintly with heat. But for once, this land of ruin was filled with motion.
Training.
Not just drills of war, but rituals of preparation—of awakening.
Rose stood at the center of a spiraling circle drawn into the earth, her bare feet kissed by dust and dew. Around her, the clearing surged with sound. Weapons clashed. Breath burned. Creatures of legend and story trained with steel, flame, and spirit.
Dryads with curved sickle-blades danced alongside valkyries cloaked in starlight. The phoenix-spirits weaved arcs of fire through the sky, forgin
