Where the Flowers Still Grow

Three years after a catastrophic event devastated the city of Avern Whale, Stiles returns to the ruins of the Fourth Colosseum, as he does regularly, to confront the memories of the day everything changed. The city that was once filled with engineered beauty and advanced living technology now lies in ruins, its bioalecm infrastructure damaged but strangely still alive. Among the destruction, flowers continue to grow through the ash, reminding Stiles of the life and happiness that existed before the catastrophe—and of his mother. While exploring the ruins, Stiles encounters Skara, a survivor who has been hiding in the old mining tunnels beneath the city. She tells him that several other survivors are sheltering underground, though they have already lost contact with others in the eastern sections of the mine. Before they can learn more about each other, a familiar and terrifying sound echoes through the ruins, warning Stiles that danger is close. Stiles and Skara hurry into the tunnels, where they discover a small group of survivors struggling to stay alive. [first two chapters]