Chapter 100 The Stillness Between Storms

• The storm had gone silent.
• For the first time in days — perhaps longer, though time had lost meaning — the wind no longer screamed. The air lay still, heavy with the scent of ozone and damp sand. All around them, the remnants of the storm shimmered faintly: suspended droplets of light, frozen midair like stars that had forgotten their place in the sky.
• They had made camp at the foot of the lightning gate — or what remained of it. The colossal archway now stood dormant, faint sparks crawling lazily across its surface. Beyond it, the path to the Third Flame waited, veiled in mist and promise.