“Voices” by Paul Hikari

An observant fighter-in-training and his aged master. A paladin on a journey to light the world’s darkest hour. Two bickering siblings who debate the worth of a travelling companion. An engineering prodigy pursuing his life’s greatest work. A resistance leader out to stop the looming shadow of an otherworldly evil. A serial killer haunted by nightmares of his mad deeds of revenge.

These stories and others intertwine in a great struggle against an all-consuming empire and its floating citadel. Together, whether they know their importance or not, the parties involved must make their stand in order to save their world from total ruination.