My boots sank into the fine white sand as I stepped out of the tent, each step kicking up a small, glittering cloud that caught the brutal sunlight and threw it back twice as bright. This wasn't the plain's sun. This light was sharper, whiter, bouncing mercilessly off the pale ground and stinging my eyes.
Guen's friend was waiting just outside, arms loosely crossed. She studied me for a beat, confirming something in her head.
"You're Abram?" she asked.
"Yeah."
"Great. Follow me."
No explanation. No context. She turned and started walking. I fell in beside her, the hot sand shifting under my soles with every stride.
The system had stayed completely silent since we arrived. No warnings, no red flags, no hostile entity markers. Whatever this place was, it wasn't reading as danger. At least not the kind the system knew how to flag.
