The sky of Elora stretched like a frozen sea, tinged violet, over an unreal plain. Massive, sharp-edged crystals erupted from the ground like spears frozen in time, pulsing with a deep purple light—steady, rhythmic, like a heartbeat. Each pulse sent out an invisible yet tangible wave, making the very air tremble. At times, the atmosphere cracked, revealing glowing fractures like shattered glass, poised to explode. And among the crystallized tall grasses, furtive shadows crawled in silence.
Matt moved cautiously, one hand resting on his visor. The humid heat, thick with shimmering particles, made sweat bead along his neck. He squinted. Nothing in this world felt natural—it was as if he were walking through a toxic dream, a living mirage.
"What is this place…" he murmured.
Behind him, Sehr’mana moved without hesitation.
Sûn'kir, said Sehr'mana pointing the Savannah.
Her slender, supple form, wrapped in a light iridescent cloak, seemed to glide rather than walk. She wove through the razor-sharp grass and jagged rock with the effortless elegance of a predator in its element.
"Vaa’rashi seduun... shaav’kori te’shar. Naav’i kuurma. Saav koru’tai, Matt…" she said, her voice calm but serious.
Matt turned, confused. The words flowed through the air like an alien melody, but their meaning eluded him completely.
"Uh… sorry, I didn’t catch that. Can you repeat? Slowly? Maybe… with hand gestures?"
Sehr’mana raised a brow—not amused. She pointed sharply at the crystals, then pressed two fingers to her temple, miming imminent danger.
"Shaakar, seduun va’ka… KESHO TAI!" she shouted louder.
The ground shuddered beneath them. A deep rumbling rose from the earth’s core. One of the crystals ahead started pulsating frantically, its glow shifting to a blinding white.
Matt instinctively stepped back. Then, he saw it—an eerie ripple in the air, like space itself tearing apart. A fracture appeared a few meters away, a floating rift emitting a terrifying hum—like the furious buzzing of a swarm of giant, enraged bees.
"OK OK! Got it! We’re leaving!"
He bolted, following Sehr’mana, who had already surged ahead. She zigzagged between rocks and luminous foliage. Too late, he realized some leaves burned on mere contact with his suit. A wave of scorching heat surged behind him, lifting dust and shards in its wake. The air itself vibrated, stretched thin like a membrane about to snap.
"Shaar! Ke’sme Shaar ku do va!" Sehr’mana shouted as she ran.
Matt had no idea if she was chanting a spell or cursing, but it didn’t matter. He ran for his life. His boots slid over the loose ground, each step a battle against an environment that rejected his presence.
Suddenly, a bolt of lightning slashed through the sky—a sky perfectly clear, without a single cloud. The massive discharge raced downward, heading straight for them.
Sehr’mana stopped abruptly. She placed a palm against a nearby crystal, then pressed her forehead against it in a slow, almost ritualistic motion.
The crystal trembled beneath her fingers.
The lightning veered away, abruptly striking a point several meters to the left. The impact sent shards flying, and a shockwave hurled them backward. Matt dropped to his knees, panting.
"Did you just… command a crystal to save us?! Okay. That’s it. You officially do alien magic."
Sehr’mana turned to him, her eyes glowing with something soft—almost sad. A kind of ancient weariness, as though she carried far more memories than she cared to admit.
"Kaari mutashka… vaa shuni ke Matt. Vaa… saava."
She reached out her hand.
Without thinking, Matt took it.
He didn’t know what "saava" meant, but in Sehr’mana’s gaze, he saw something he understood without words—a promise. A quiet reassurance. A raw truth.
Maybe even… trust.
And in that moment, it was all he needed to keep moving forward in a world that refused to make sense.
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