The journey from Snow Moon City to the Frozen Cloud Asgard took the better part of the day, even with Yun Lan pushing her flying sword to its limits. By the time the familiar peaks of her home came into view, the sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, painting the sky in hues of bruised purple and bleeding orange.
But as they drew closer, the colors of the sunset seemed to mock the scene below.
Alaric stood behind Yun Lan on the sword, his arms wrapped possessively around her waist, his chin resting on her shoulder. He felt her body stiffen as the sect came into view. He felt the tremor that started in her core and radiated outward, a vibration of pure, unadulterated grief.
The Frozen Cloud Asgard, once a jewel of the Northern Prefecture, a palace of crystal and ice that scraped the heavens, was a graveyard.
