The moment I stepped through the rift, my vision blurred slightly then came the heat.
I blinked as my senses adjusted. The air was harsh and dry, like every breath scraped at my lungs.
A dry wind blew past, carrying fine sand that clung to my skin and hair.
Before me stretched an endless expanse of golden dunes, rolling like waves frozen mid-tide. The sky overhead was unnaturally still, tinged with a reddish hue as if stuck in an eternal sunset.
It felt like I'd stepped into a world forgotten by time isolated, lifeless, and buried beneath the weight of scorching silence.
I turned to Liris, who had already pulled her hood tighter around her head.
Despite the cloak, she still radiated that usual untouchable grace, like she belonged even in this brutal landscape.
"So…" I asked, squinting into the endless horizon. "Where are we going exactly?"
Without a word, she reached into her cloak and pulled out a strange-looking device.
