A cold wind pushed through the settlement's narrow streets, curling between rows of brick buildings like a whisper hunting for secrets.
The place was alive with noise. Vendors shouted over one another beneath colourful canopies, their carts stacked with bolts of cloth, dried herbs, glimmering trinkets, and smoked meats. Horses clopped along brick-paved roads, and wagons creaked under the weight of foreign goods. The scent of soot and spice mingled in the air, thick and heavy. Guards in mismatched armour leaned against walls, watching but rarely interfering.
This outpost thrived not because of order, but because chaos was profitable.
And through it all walked a lone figure.
Draped in black, a long coat brushing the tops of his boots, the stranger moved with quiet purpose. Pale blond hair caught the light as it slipped from beneath a black mask that hid most of his face. No insignia marked him. No sound followed him. Yet the crowd seemed to part without thinking.
