Chapter 137 - Shadows in Stone

The sun broke weakly through the storm's aftermath, pale and fragile as though it feared to touch the soaked earth. Beams of light cut through the lingering mist, falling across the ruins in thin, trembling lines. Water pooled in shattered stone basins, reflecting shards of sky, while the once-mighty columns lay toppled, half-swallowed by moss and ivy, silent witnesses to centuries of neglect. Every step Leo took stirred the smell of wet stone and earth, pungent and metallic in the cool morning air.