The sun rose slowly over Zafira, casting golden rays across the sand-covered rooftops and silent towers. The city buzzed to life with merchants shouting and donkeys braying, but deep in an old, abandoned stable on the city’s edge, the world remained quiet.Lina sat cross-legged on a musty old carpet, still holding the ruby that had changed her life. Its glow had dimmed to a warm pulse, like a heartbeat beneath the stone. Across from her hovered Rumi, the genie bound in chains, his form swirling like smoke in a bottle opened too long.He watched her, silent.> “You said I have