The world at forty thousand feet was incredibly peaceful.
Hide sat in a plush, white leather seat, his elbow resting against the armrest as he stared out the window of Claire's private jet. Below them, an endless, glittering expanse of deep blue water stretched across the horizon, entirely unbroken.
Hide pressed his hand against the cold glass. He had lived most of his life in Area 17, surrounded by smog, concrete, and the constant threat of Calamity beasts.
He had never left his home country of Varisus, located deep in the Southern Continent. Varisus was a perpetually cold land, entirely blanketed in grey clouds and biting winds throughout the year.
Seeing the ocean for the first time—seeing the sheer, unfathomable scale of the world outside the borders of his small, cold life—sent a profound shiver down his spine. The planet was so much bigger than he had ever imagined.
"Mesmerizing, isn't it?"
