The western sky glowed with fading shades of amber and crimson as the final light of the day settled across Regina's towering walls, transforming the ancient stone into a tapestry of warm color that concealed none of the unease quietly spreading beneath the city's ordinary rhythm, while merchants hurried to complete their business before the evening bells announced the closing of the gates and returning patrols exchanged familiar greetings with the sentries preparing for another long night of vigilance.
Although the streets remained lively with travelers, craftsmen, and children chasing one another through the crowded market square, an almost imperceptible tension lingered beneath every cheerful conversation because the city had become accustomed to whispers of distant unrest, and even those unable to name the danger sensed that the peaceful balance protecting their lives had begun to shift.
