The planet known as Exo was a blue wasteland. That much was already known, and the students expected it the moment they stepped through the portal.
Still, expectation didn't soften reality. On the other side, the students walked into unfamiliar terrain. The air felt strange on their skin. It was a bit colder compared to Earth, and it carried a faint pressure that made breathing feel different.
If the students had 21st-century devices with cameras, many of them would have taken pictures just to prove they had been here.
The portal behind them stood in an open field. Around it was a fortified settlement. Oval Corp structures surrounded the area, clean and solid, with the Oval Academy insignia etched into walls and towers.
The students were escorted into the Oval Corp base. Inside, they were shown several areas. There was a long hall lined with framed pictures of fallen soldiers and war veterans. Axel walked slowly and stopped completely when his eyes landed on one of the images.
