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The earth groaned beneath Cheska's feet, a sound that resonated with an ancient weight, as though the world itself was stirring from a deep slumber.
The mountain moved — no, the woman did.
At first, her motion was subtle, almost imperceptible, but as the earth surrounding her torso shifted, the soil cascaded like sand, revealing the skin beneath.
It wasn't stone or flesh but a patchwork of rich browns and ochres, hues that shifted and glimmered like living earth.
The woman's hair began to stir, breaking free from the soil with an ethereal glow.
Strands of brilliant blue spilled forth, flowing like rivers of light. The cascading locks illuminated the gray world, their glow breathing life into the barren landscape.
Cheska could only watch, mesmerized, as the strands fell against the soil, piercing it like veins of water.
