The rift opened one mile from the Association Fortress.
Not above it.Not within its perimeter.But precisely at the entrance of the land that guarded it.
A foot emerged first.
Then another.
Aizrel stepped out of the rift, followed by the others in quick succession. Princess Lainsa, Ru, Yi, Mu Long, Azriel, Hylisi–each landed with practiced control.
Kiaria came last.
The land before them unfolded silently.
A vast sloping valley stretched downward at a gentle incline, nearly thirty degrees from horizon to depth. At the end of the slope, one mile away, stood the fortress–massive, ancient, and radiant. Its silver walls caught the light like a frozen wave, calm and unassailable.
Between them and the fortress, nothing interrupted the land.
No trees.No water.No shade.No elevation breaks.
Only grass.
