16. March 2026

The mornings in the mountains were always cool, but today a biting wind swept through the peaks. A new day was breaking. For several weeks now, the crew had been stationed at a remote railway stop, laboring over the Veresk Bridge—a structure designed to span the void between two towering cliffs. Nearby, from a neighboring summit, the ruins of an ancient, desolate castle kept a silent watch. Its cold, crumbling silhouette served as a grim reminder of the transience of time.