The city streets bustled in organized chaos, even as the snow insisted on blanketing the world in white. Merchants shouted their offers, riders struggled to guide their horses through the frozen mud, children ran and laughed as if the cold were just another game. There was life there, and for Damon, after days of forest and silence, it was almost like breathing again.
"Welcome to civilization," he murmured, opening his arms as if introducing himself to the city. "The smell of bread, sweat, and cheap promises… nothing like that to warm the soul."
Ester didn't answer. She walked a few steps ahead, her dark cloak flapping in the wind, her attentive eyes scanning every face, every shadow, as if calculating invisible risks. For her, there was nothing cozy about that place; it was just another dot on the map, another mandatory stop before the next step.
