[POV: Sofia Lanka]

"You think the descent is an accident, Valerius? You think my daughter tripped over a wire and pulled your precious city out of the clouds? No. This is exactly what you wanted. You wanted the North to meet the Surface. You wanted a god to look down on the ants. Well, look out the window. We’re falling, and I’m the one holding the leash."

Sofia stood at the center of the Bridge, her silver-gold eyes casting a rhythmic, pulsing light across the frightened faces of the remaining Northern Scholars. The air in the command hub was freezing, the life-support systems struggling to compensate for the sudden change...