Nadir looked different in daylight.The shadows had drawn back just enough to show the broken veins of the city, with cracked pavement and half-sunken alleys that twisted like old scars. Buildings leaned against each other for support, and old neon signs flickered uncertainly, remnants of a time when people thought light could protect them.Cael followed Malie down one of the main streets, boots crunching softly over debris. The morning air was dense with the smell of scorched plastic and grease, mixed faintly with something spicy that drifted from a food cart in the distance. Steam hissed from vents along the walls, and low music leaked from an open window several stories up. He took it all in silently, the way he took in everything: without understanding, but with sharp attention."Try not to look too interested," Malie said, glancing over her shoulder. "People around here don't like being stared at. Makes them nervous."Cael adjusted the cloth-wrapped spear slung across his back. I