Standing just outside the city, the bald man smiled, then turned his head toward the front where the seashore stretched beneath the open sky. Without urgency, he began walking through the outskirts in a slow, steady manner, his steps calm and deliberate.
Yet with every step, space bent subtly around him. Distance lost meaning as a single stride carried him far beyond what should have been possible, the world folding obediently beneath his feet.
Before long, he stood upon the seashore.
A massive sand worm lay coiled nearby, half its colossal body submerged beneath the shifting sand. Its presence alone warped the air with an invisible pressure, ancient and watchful.
"Hmm, congratulations, Black Ink God."
As the words formed, a mental message surged into the bald man's mind, smooth and invasive. A smile was forced onto his face, one that carried respect rather than resistance.
