Netser led the others up a narrow, winding trail until they reached a windswept ridge. From there, the world opened before them—the capital sprawling to their left in glimmering rooftops, and to their right the vast expanse of the sea, its surface flashing like hammered silver beneath the rising sun.
"Such a beautiful view, and yet you're wearing such a grim expression, Netser," Lara said softly. Her eyes lingered on the distant horizon where sea and sky bled into one shimmering line.
"The changes in the capital are… drastic," Netser murmured. "I hardly recognize it. It doesn't feel like Westalis anymore—it's as if another nation has taken its place." His voice carried the weight of old wounds, and sadness shadowed his features.
"I heard the King sought alliance by marrying a princess from the Vestan Empire," Aramis added, watching the bustling seaport below where merchant sails bloomed like colorful wings.
