At last, after hours of climbing, their weary steps carried them onto the very top. The sky had already begun to bleed into dusk, streaks of crimson and gold giving way to the slow creep of indigo. Luke wiped the sweat from his brow, realising with some disbelief that they had spent nearly an entire day clawing their way upward. His legs ached, his lungs still burned—but here they were.
Was it worth it?
That question lingered between them as they gazed around. At first glance, it seemed like disappointment. The hilltop was solid, closed, without the promise of a hollow cavern that might have revealed the Associations' hidden stronghold. No dramatic entrance, no half-buried ruins beckoning them inward. Just hard earth and weathered stone. A blow, yes—but not the end of their pursuit.
