Once Ludwig walked through the portal, he found himself in front of a massive gate. The shift was so abrupt it made his balance stutter for a fraction of a step, one second he was stepping out of one world, the next, he was planted on stone that felt ancient and absolute. The air didn't just feel cold. It had weight to it, like the kind of chill that creeps into armor seams and stays there, biting deeper the longer you pretend it isn't happening.
His eyes tracked instinctively, left, right, behind, up, mapping exits before his brain even caught up to the fact that this was a place that wanted to be mapped. Every breath came out faint and white, then vanished into cloud.
It was a mountain peak. Where only clouds covered the steep mountain slopes. The world beyond the ledge was just a rolling sea of gray, thick enough to swallow sound.
No birds. No distant wind howl. Just that muffled hush you get when you're high enough that the world feels… far away from itself.
