Jude's boots crunched softly on the frozen gravel as they approached the outskirts of Leonork. The city's skyline rose like a jagged silhouette against the pale light of the overcast sky, but it was not the same city he had left. There was something different now, an invisible weight in the air, a sensation like standing on the edge of a deep chasm with no bottom. The closer they got, the quieter it became. Not just in sound, but in presence. Even the wind seemed hesitant to touch this place. Buildings that once housed the routines of everyday life now loomed like ancient ruins, dark windows watching them with the cold detachment of forgotten gods.