Lacian crouched beside the stele, brushing away dust from a smaller, nearly worn line of text: "If the Witness forgets this duty, the gate will open, and what lies beyond it will not be borne by man." https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Lacians hand closed into a fist as he remembered the broken warning in the descent cage: The Second Gate must never be opened. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Asteron stared at Samothes, his eyes narrowing as the royal advisor proposed a new stabilization protocol, one that would abandon traditional royal-blood anchoring and instead carry core memory and functional… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Lacian stood roughly three paces from the vessel, eyes fixed on Samothes as he examined the transparent tubes feeding into the container. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWW1XCD2 #SunkenCity

Aurelia climbed faster, her breath caught in her chest, as they emerged into the circular chamber again. The examination tables stood in the dark like silent tombstones, their steel plates rippling like waves… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Asteron stared at Samothes, his eyes narrowing as he grasped the implications of the proposed project: to turn living people into instrument stores, preserving only fragments of their being. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Lacian held his breath as two figures in dark robes stood over the covered well, their faces hidden by hoods. One held a luminous device, casting a cold white light. Lacian's heart nearly stopped as one of… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWW1XCD2 #SunkenCity

Lacian pushed the weeds aside and ducked into the abandoned brick kiln, its mouth half-hidden by weeds, at the end of a dead-end lane. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Samothes spoke, his words distinct as he pronounced a regulation into force. Asteron stared at him, his eyes narrowing in disapproval, as the hum of the light columns deepened outside. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Lacian's hand locked on the railing as the ground beneath his feet began to crack and shudder. The white pillar continued to rise, its radiance illuminating the darkening sky. Cracks spread outward from the… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Lacian's face darkened as he stared at Ilaewyn, who stood between them and the purge team, his silver-white shoulder creature radiating a cold light. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Lacian stood beside Namira, her hands clenched tightly as she gazed back at the receding Harbor District. Her face was blank, but her knuckles showed white. "What happened?" she asked softly. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWW1XCD2 #SunkenCity

Lacian lowered his eyes to Mico in his arms. The creature had stopped trembling, but its light had gone dim, as though nearly spent. There are other things I must do, he said. Then he turned and walked toward… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Elios stood before the door, his face unchanging, as he pressed harder on the barrier. The whole thing split down the middle and fell away in fragments, revealing the door behind. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWW1XCD2 #SunkenCity

Aureia stood there for a long time, her eyes fixed on the White Line on the floor. The door to the cell had shut behind Karion, leaving only the cold wind from the open window to whisper through the chamber. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWW1XCD2 #SunkenCity

Lacian lay flat, scattering luminous powder into the crack, and watched as the green trail drifted down into the darkness below. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Lacian turned and ran toward the Harbor District. His footsteps thinned into distance. Only Silas and Ilaewyn remained in the lane, watching the darkening end of the narrow street. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWYF91RR #SunkenCity

Aureia picked up the seal, bronze engraved with the Star Tower and a balance, and pressed it into the vermilion ink, halting just as it was about to touch the judgment sheet in the dimly lit chamber. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWW1XCD2 #SunkenCity

Lacian crouched beside Namira on the freight crate, watching the alleys below. The wind rose, swaying the crate stack and creaking the old wood. A figure emerged at the mouth of the alley, dark gray cloak and… https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWW1XCD2 #SunkenCity

Lacian's fingers went cold as he stared at the records, his eyes scanning the entries of those who had met their end to fuel the project. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0GWW1XCD2 #SunkenCity