Dusk draped its veil across the ruined horizon, the last light of the sun smearing the sky in blood-red and gold. The march of Kaelen's company slowed, their shadows stretching long and weary against the cracked earth. For hours they had walked in silence, and then, at last, the land itself seemed to give way.
Before them lay the threshold of what had once been the Outlands—now the domain of Endless, twisted into the Land of the Labyrinth and Abyss.
It was quieter than anything they had passed before. Too quiet. The air itself felt heavier, suffocating, yet no sound broke it. Not a whisper of wind, not the groan of trees, not even the faint tremor of hidden creatures. It was as though the very world held its breath, awaiting something unspeakable.
