The group hovered above the glass forest, the sharp canopy below shimmering like a bed of jagged mirrors.
The dense network of crystalline trees left no room to land, their needle-like branches refracting the dim sunlight into eerie rainbows.
It was an unwelcoming place, a fractured world of brittle beauty, where even the air seemed still and waiting. The cyan shade of the sky was gone, replaced by an ordinary pallor, as if the atmosphere had dulled.
The land around them seemed foreign reshaped as if the world had breathed in and forgotten how to exhale.
Arthur broke the silence, his voice heavy yet composed, as he recounted what he had seen in the volcano's mines. Before delving into the grim details, he turned to Beli's remains, bowing his head in quiet reverence. "Beli." He said softly. "I'm sorry for dragging you into this. You deserved better."
