Kai and Varaan trudged up the rocky mountain path, their boots crunching over loose gravel and frost-bitten stone. The chill wind whipped around them like ghostly fingers, tugging at their cloaks and stinging their exposed skin. Jagged peaks loomed above, half-shrouded in swirling mist, and the distant howl of wind through crags gave the mountain an eerie, hollow voice.
Suddenly, Kai halted mid-step. His breath caught as his eyes narrowed, scanning the path ahead.
A shimmer flickered in the air before him—like heat rising from pavement, but wrong. Too sharp. Too artificial.
Then came the warning.
[System Notice: Connection Unstable — Attempting Re-sync...]
Kai stiffened. "What the—did you see that?" he asked, voice low, laced with unease.
Varaan stopped beside him, glancing around nervously. The ground beneath his feet flickered faintly, and the shadows cast by the sun wavered as if unsure where to fall.
