Aldric found himself leaning closer, his initial scoff replaced by a grudging curiosity. He saw how the leading edge of a dune, facing the wind's full brunt, remained sharp and defined. But further back, the sand flowed in gentle waves, each particle seemingly aware of its neighbor, moving in a coordinated ripple. It was a dance of resistance and surrender, a profound display of control even in the apparent chaos.
A strange sense of calm washed over Aldric. The frustration that had gnawed at him began to recede, replaced by a quiet focus. He wasn't just watching anymore; he was feeling. Feeling the wind's caress, the yielding resistance of the sand, the unspoken language of their interaction.
A memory surfaced – a day as a child spent by the ocean, mesmerized by the way the waves rose and fell, their power born of the moon's pull. A feeling, very similar to this, of a force both immense and graceful, dictating movement with an invisible hand.
