Hayes stepped up beside Ethan, her face stiff with shock, as though what she was seeing refused to fit into anything she had ever been taught. For a long moment she said nothing, just stared out at the empty stretch of the third layer, her disbelief written plainly in her eyes.
Ethan noticed her expression and tilted his head slightly. "Isn't this how it's supposed to be?"
She shook her head slowly, almost reluctantly, like she wished she were wrong. "No. The ancestral records say the opposite. The third layer should be richer than the second, more energy, stronger celestial beasts, more relics. A lot more. Our ancestors who died in the ancient wars left behind treasures, heirlooms, things meant for those who came after. But this place…" She swept her gaze across the barren surroundings, her shoulders sinking. "It's like everything's been stripped clean."
