The city felt wrong.
Not just empty.
Not just abandoned.
But hollow—like something had peeled away its soul and left the structure behind.
Aria stepped across the threshold slowly, her boots echoing faintly against the stone streets. The sound lingered too long, stretching unnaturally, as if the silence itself refused to let it go.
Behind her, Kael and the others followed, their movements cautious, their senses stretched to their limits.
No one spoke.
Because there was nothing to say.
Everything that needed to be understood was already there—
In the stillness.
In the absence.
In the way the air felt heavier with each step deeper into the city.
“This is worse than East Ridge,” Lira whispered.
Kael nodded grimly. “There’s nothing here.”
“No,” Aria said softly.
Her eyes scanned
