Lanterns of Winter

Snow falls without sound over Lanternfall City. Above the frozen streets, hundreds of glowing lanterns drift like stars pulled too close to the earth. You walk beneath them, hands warm despite the cold, light responding to your presence. Somewhere in the distance, a lantern cracks — not from impact, but from grief. At the edge of the city, a tall figure stands still as ice. Lord Caelum Frostward watches the sky, unaware that winter itself has already chosen you. Tonight, the lanterns descend. Tonight, the past begins to stir.