I am the sole ruler of this pile of rubble.

A story panel for the illustrated novel: Caldyra.
Ninae Solhelm disregarded the tremble in her calloused fingers and slapped her hands together to rid them of the dirt that had accumulated during her climb. She had never climbed this high up outside of the city’s borders, and that was no small feat.
The sky was still a dark blue, as dawn had not broken the horizon just yet, but she felt relieved nonetheless. She looked out upon the dark treetops and breathed in deeply, savoring the fresh morning air—an undeniable treat compared to the foul stench of staleness and human waste from the inner city.
From where she stood, she could just about make out the ruins of old Azmera. They looked like dilapidated old buildings swallowed by the luscious greens of the wild, but to her, it was her kingdom. It had been decades since the land had felt the touch of human cultivation and nature seemed to prosper because of it.