The plateau revealed itself slowly, not as a single expanse but as a sequence of measured spaces that seemed arranged with intention rather than chance. Stone outcrops rose at irregular intervals, their surfaces worn smooth by centuries of wind. Sparse trees stood alone or in small clusters, their roots gripping the earth as if resisting an unseen pull. The air felt heavier here, not with humidity or heat, but with expectation. It pressed against the lungs and settled into the bones, reminding every soldier that this place was not merely terrain but judgment.Su Yu halted the column before the first rise. He did not issue spoken commands. His raised hand was enough. The soldiers responded instantly, formation tightening, movements quiet and restrained. This was no place for wasted motion. The plateau demanded order, and disorder would be punished in ways that were not always immediate but always inevitable.Linxue dismounted and knelt, placing her palm against the ground. The soil was

THE PATH THAT REMEMBERS BLOODDawn broke slowly over the stone spine, light spilling across the rock in thin layers as if the sun itself hesitated to touch the land too boldly. From the high shelf, the empire’s column looked smaller than it truly was, reduced by distance and silence into a line of dark figures against pale stone. Below them, the ground they had crossed lay calm and indistinct, giving no hint of the trial it had imposed or the life it had claimed. The land kept its secrets well.Su Yu rose before the others, as he always did. He stood at the edge of the shelf, gaze fixed forward, not backward. Reflection had its place, but leadership demanded motion. The missing scout weighed heavily on him, not as guilt, but as warning. The earth had taken one not out of cruelty, but to mark a boundary. Beyond this point, mistakes would not be instructional. They would be final.When the column stirred awake, no orders were shouted. Soldiers moved with quiet efficiency, rolling bedc

THE GROUND THAT DOES NOT FORGIVEThe terrain ahead abandoned subtlety entirely.Jagged stone tore through the earth like exposed bone, rising in uneven ridges that fractured the land into sharp corridors and broken shelves. The sky above darkened not with storm clouds, but with a dull heaviness that pressed down on the senses. Wind returned here, harsh and erratic, cutting across the rocks with a sound like distant scraping metal. This was not a place that observed quietly. This was a place that punished openly.Su Yu did not slow the column.He changed it.The formation widened, not for safety, but for survival. Each unit was given room to maneuver, to adapt to sudden changes in elevation and footing. Here, cohesion did not mean closeness. It meant awareness. Soldiers were instructed through motion rather than command, reading Su Yu’s pacing and posture, adjusting instinctively. This land demanded reaction without hesitation.Linxue moved constantly, never settling into one position

THE SILENCE THAT HUNTSThe first light of dawn did not bring relief. It fell pale and uncertain across the basin, revealing shadows cast by stone pillars that leaned and twisted like skeletal hands frozen mid-motion. The air was brittle, carrying the scent of cold earth and faint iron, though no blood lay upon the ground. This place did not need fresh stains; memory sufficed. The land remembered everything, every misstep, every hesitation, every breath of fear.Su Yu moved forward without hesitation, scanning each contour of the stone-strewn path before him. The soldiers followed, attuned to his rhythm. Here, cohesion was survival, but rigid formation would have been fatal. Each man moved like a living part of the land, adjusting to unseen faults beneath their feet, to sudden dips in the brittle earth, to invisible pressures in the air. Even the wind seemed unwilling to disturb them.Linxue stayed near the center of the column, her eyes sharp. She counted the steps of every soldier,

THE LABYRINTH OF BROKEN STONEDawn broke over the jagged valley, pale and fragile, casting long, distorted shadows that stretched like claws across the fractured terrain. The air was heavy with cold, the faint tang of iron lingering where stone had cracked and shifted. The soldiers stirred, stiff and aching, their movements deliberate and cautious. Fatigue pressed on them as a physical weight, but the land demanded more than just endurance it demanded awareness, control, and the refusal to yield even when every joint protested.Su Yu led, stepping carefully over uneven stone, testing the stability of each ridge before committing his weight. Linxue followed near the center of the formation, ensuring the injured soldier remained balanced, checking straps and tightening harnesses, her eyes scanning constantly for subtle dangers. The valley was deceptive; what appeared stable could collapse at any moment. Loose gravel and sharp outcroppings could twist an ankle, break a limb, or set off