The descent into the inner basin became quieter the deeper the group moved. The earlier chatter that had filled the march—Lucy asking about the map intervals, Liza double-checking the formation spacing, Arios calmly adjusting their pace—faded into a steadier rhythm. Their boots pressed into the soft moss that coated the basin floor, leaving faint impressions that vanished minutes later, absorbed back into the strange living ground.
Above them, the sun dipped behind the basin's curved rim, cutting off half the sky and dimming the light. The basin always seemed to swallow brightness faster than the rest of the island, as if it were an enormous bowl designed to trap shadows.
Lucy kept glancing around. "Still no monsters. This place feels… wrong."
Liza nodded. "Too quiet. No bird sounds. No mana signatures. Nothing."
