Because the imperial palace stood at its heart, the capital inevitably became a crossroads for everything the empire produced—gold, information, ambition, and rot.
In the Solhaven Empire, the central region was the most prosperous by far. Wealth and authority circulated endlessly, like blood pumping through a healthy body.
But no body was without disease.
And no capital, no matter how radiant, was free of shadows.
With the sole exception of the barren North, every region of the empire shared the same ugly truth—
Where light gathered, darkness pooled just beneath it.
"Not as bad as the West," I muttered, eyes sweeping across the streets ahead, "but this place isn't something you can afford to underestimate."
"…Isn't this the capital?" Emma Voss asked under her breath.
Her confusion was understandable.
