The portal's blinding light vanished beneath a blast of scorching air.
Hajin raised one forearm across his eyes while both feet sank ankle-deep into shifting sand.
Wind howled over the formation, carrying dust that scraped exposed skin and filled every gap in their clothing.
The temperature changed so quickly that several knights staggered, their lungs struggling to exchange the valley air for heat that tasted of metal.
Behind them, the portal hung as a vertical pane of blue light, already distorted by sand striking its surface from the wrong side.
As his sight cleared, an enormous desert appeared beneath a dark-red sky.
Dunes rolled toward the horizon until heat haze swallowed them in every direction.
Nothing green survived anywhere in sight, and even the light bent strangely above the burning ground.
"Vanguards, shields up, and form the wedge while watching every dune," the Captain shouted over the gale.
The royal knights reacted at once despite the hostile transition.
