Quote:
On the evening of Friday, February 21st, Destiny City was hit with a strange storm. Dark clouds hung over the city all day but it wasn’t until later in the evening that the storm erupted. The lightning was near constant and erratic, sometimes silent and sometimes loud and booming. The skies turned an odd shade of purple during the storms. The city had been expecting storms but this was something beyond their imagination. The air was dense, thick with a strange energy. Energy gathering characters might have noticed that they had increased gains, as if it were possible to gather energy from the air itself in addition to their intended target.

Lightning struck almost constantly, and Destiny City reported a number of minor damages. The storm lasted for only about half an hour before it seemed to burn itself out. Scientists have attributed the strange colorations to light pollution and a chemical reaction. Reports say there’s nothing to worry about.

Maybe you know better.


Jelani hummed softly to herself as she moved through her small apartment, a basket of freshly folded laundry balanced on her hip. The soft melody filled the quiet space, mingling with the gentle patter of rain against the windows. She’d been expecting a storm, but nothing quite like this.

The first rumble of thunder had been distant, a low growl that seemed more of a warning than a promise. But now, as the storm settled over Destiny City, it let loose with an intensity that rattled the glass in her windows.

She set the basket down, her hands lingering on the clean linens as a flash of lightning painted the entire room in a stark violet glow. The light seemed to hang in the air, turning every shadow sharp and strange.

“Whoa…” She moved to the window, brushing a curl from her face as she peered outside. The sky was a churning sea of purple clouds, lightning forking across it in chaotic, electric webs. Sometimes the strikes were silent, like a lightbulb flickering, but then—a blast of thunder cracked so loudly she felt it reverberate through her chest.

Her apartment building swayed just slightly, the way old buildings did during strong winds. A stack of books toppled from the coffee table, and Jelani jumped, clutching her shirt. She wasn’t easily startled, but the energy in the air was off. It wasn’t just a storm—it felt alive.

The Lunar Hourglass, resting on the coffee table, began to glow. The sand inside churned, moving too quickly, as if time itself had become unstable.

Her pulse quickened. She reached out to pick it up, but the moment her fingers grazed the cool metal, a sharp shock snapped against her skin. “Ow!”

Static energy danced over her hand, little arcs of electricity that leapt from her fingertips to the metal edge of the table. She shook her hand out, wincing.

A flash outside drew her attention. She watched as a bolt of lightning struck a nearby power line, sending sparks cascading to the street below. The city beyond her window flickered, and for a moment, the whole block went dark.

Her apartment fell into shadow, save for the strange, ghostly glow of the hourglass. She could feel the storm’s energy now, a strange heaviness in the air that made her head swim. She backed away from the window, pulling the curtains shut, as if fabric alone could shield her from the unnatural tempest outside.

Thunder boomed again, and this time the sound seemed to stretch, distorting in her ears. She could hear something beneath it—a whisper, almost melodic, threading through the noise. It sent a shiver down her spine.

Jelani pressed a hand to her temple, trying to focus. “Get it together,” she murmured. She needed to keep her head clear, but every crack of thunder seemed to scatter her thoughts, like leaves in the wind.

She turned to the basket of laundry, clinging to the ordinary task as an anchor. She pulled a shirt from the pile, folding it with deliberate precision. But when another flash of lightning came, it was as if time itself stuttered. She found herself holding a different shirt, the basket already empty, though she couldn’t remember folding the rest.

Her breath caught, and she set the shirt down. “Okay. Definitely not normal.”

The storm outside seemed to respond to her voice, a low rumble vibrating through the floorboards. Jelani moved through her apartment, lighting a few candles and pulling a blanket around her shoulders. There wasn’t much to do but wait, but Jelani wasn’t the type to let a storm—magical or not—make her feel small.

She sat by the window, amber eyes reflecting the purple lightning as it painted the sky with its chaotic artistry. Whatever this was, she would face it head-on, whether in the safety of her home or out on the storm-soaked streets.

WC:648