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The ridgeline shimmered beneath the hot sun. Shards of fused sand and rocks stabbed from the ground like dragon teeth—relics of the sea strown wrath. The wind whistled through their crevices, carrying the tang of sea salt and charred earth. Kai stepped carefully between the glimmering spires, his boots crunching grit and scorched lichen beneath.
His eyes flicked to the horizon.
A shimmering sheet of blue stretched out far, It didn't curl like fog or crawl like a storm. It hovered. Waited. Ominous. Absolute.
Kai's breath caught.
His hand slid down to the hilt of his dagger—not from fear, but instinct. His Monarch senses screamed with caution. His warrior soul whispered, curious…
He crouched near a ridge boulder, opened a fold of tough hide—a map drafted with ant silk ink. He pinned it down with rocks, flattening it against the curved stone. His fingers traced their current options. Two paths veined forward:
One inland: dense forests, beast territory, known dangers.
