The Sea of Dunes stretched endlessly under a punishing sun, yet Alan, Kaela, and Lioren pressed on, drawn by the cryptic message and the growing pull of the medallion around Alan’s neck. It pulsed now, in rhythm with the Pillars' heartbeat, like a compass guiding them toward danger. The wind howled. And then, silence.As they crested a ridge, the desert suddenly ended. Before them, a vast crater, perfectly circular, yawned like a scar upon the earth. And at its center, the City of Glass shimmered under moonlight, despite the blazing sun overhead. It glowed with its own eerie rhythm, pulsating with void energy.Kaela’s eyes widened. “It’s… beautiful. And wrong.”Lioren’s staff hummed in warning. “It shouldn't exist. Not like this.”Alan stepped forward, his Keeper mark glowing faintly. “She’s here.” They approached the city’s entrance: a massive stone arch embedded with veins of glowing quartz. The glyphs etched into it were ancient Sha’tarai, dead language, except to one who bore the

The desert gave way to green again.After days of travel, the group reached the borders of Kareth Vale, a thriving valley city built into the ribs of an ancient beast, its bones now used as arches and bridges. Once a sanctuary for monks, Kareth had become a central point of knowledge for Pillar-watchers and ancient scholars.Alan, Kaela, Lioren, and Nara were weary, but they carried momentum. The encounter beneath the sands had changed them. But something had changed in the world, too. The stars no longer obeyed their patterns. The wind whispered new names. And every so often, Alan would wake from dreams of frost... and a voice calling his name like a curse.In Kareth Vale, they met with the Sapphire Council, three sage-rulers who had once trained with Keepers but turned away from the divine path. The eldest, High Scholar Miren, examined Alan carefully.“You’ve activated two Keeper awakenings in less than a cycle. Your core’s expanding faster than any recorded in centuries.”Alan shif