Lucian wiped a layer of toxic soot from his forehead, his fingers trembling as he clutched a jagged piece of Aether-Scrap. This junkyard was a graveyard of ancient machines and failed ambitions, a place where the sun struggled to pierce through the heavy, grey smog. For most, it was a dump. For Lucian, it was the only place left to survive, get things that the elite no longer deemed as worthy to use, clean, resell and feed.That was his daily routine. He tucked the scrap into his tattered bag and began the long trek toward the Iron-Fang Clan’s territory. Every step felt like a needle pricking his soul. He wasn't always a scavenger. Once, he was the son of the Emperor’s Royal Smith, a man whose revered by all for his unique skill of crafting metals into deadly magical armours.But that life was a ghost now."Hold on, Mother," he whispered, his voice cracking. "I’m coming with the medicine."His mother, Elena, was dying. She had contracted Cinder-Lung, a cruel disease that ate awa

The golden light from the star-peircer began to fade back into a dull, flickering glow as Lucian pulled his hand away. He looked at the mercenaries, then at Seraphina, his face an unreadable mask. The silence that followed the roar of the spear was heavy, broken only by the distant clatter of falling scrap metal somewhere in the depths of the Bone-Yard.The mercenary leader, recovering from his initial shock, spat on the ground. He gripped his jagged blade tighter, his eyes darting between Lucian’s glowing palms and the General’s trembling spear."A neat trick, smith-boy," the leader hissed, though his voice lacked its previous bravado. "You sparked a dead stick. That doesn't change the fact that you're a core-less dog and she’s a General with a broken toy. We have orders to bring her head to Master Caspian, and yours will make a fine bonus."Lucian didn't even flinch. He didn't drop into a fighting stance or reach for a weapon. He simply wiped a streak of grease from his cheek and l

The Golden Lotus Auction House stood like a monument of greed in the center of the Upper District. Its pillars were plated in real gold, and the air inside was thick with the scent of expensive incense and the silent arrogance of the elite. Lucian felt the stares the moment he stepped through the heavy oak doors. He was still wearing his scavenger’s tunic, though he had scrubbed the soot from his face. In a room full of silk and velvet, his tattered clothes were like a stain on a white rug.He didn't care. His heart was focused on one thing: the Phoenix-Heart Root. It was a grade-four medicinal herb, the only thing powerful enough to permanently seal the Cinder-Lung eating away at his mother’s life force.As he walked toward the back of the hall, a familiar, sharp laugh cut through the low murmur of the crowd."Am I hallucinating, or did the trash heap sprout legs and walk into the Golden Lotus?"Lucian stopped. Sitting in the front row, draped in luxurious furs, were Caspian and