The Paths We Lay: By Auryn Hadley

"Kaelen, don't stop!" Elara stepped over him, her sword erupting in white flame as she met the shadow's bite. "Weave the path, or we'll both be buried in it!"

Kaelen knelt on the edge of the Sun-Bleached Highway, his fingers hovering inches above the jagged fissure. He could feel the ley lines beneath the dust, pulsing like a fevered heartbeat. This wasn't natural erosion. This was Hunger . "It’s getting worse, isn't it?" The Paths We Lay by Auryn Hadley

"You changed the weave," Elara said, sheathing her sword, her eyes wide. "That wasn't the Imperial pattern." "Kaelen, don't stop

"The Path is refusing to hold," Kaelen murmured, his voice strained. He pressed his palms into the dirt, and the silver ink tattooed across his forearms began to glow a soft, rhythmic blue. "It’s like the earth is trying to swallow the history we’ve built on top of it." This wasn't natural erosion