Chapter 1: Into the Wastes
The Wastelands were nothing like Ember. If the city was a place of shattered remnants and madness, the Wastes were something primal, wild, and untamed. Out here, the air was thicker, and the storm seemed even more alive. It wasn’t just about surviving the people or the creatures anymore—it was about surviving the land itself.
The ground was a patchwork of scorched earth and sickly, glowing plant life. Every step felt like walking on broken glass, the storm constantly swirling overhead, threatening to strike again. Jax, as usual, didn’t say much, but I could see the tension in his movements. He’d been out here before; this was his element. Zeal, on the other hand, seemed more energized the deeper we went, his eyes gleaming with that fanatical look he got whenever he talked about the relics.
And me? I felt the storm pulling at something deep inside me, like it was waiting. Watching.
