Asher dropped his heavy canvas pack onto the soft emerald moss beside a small brook. He let out a long breath as the cool mountain water rushed over smooth river stones. All around them the wide green valley stretched toward the horizon. Swaying grass and blooming wildflowers moved softly in the evening breeze. There were no flashing sirens. No search grids. No shadows of the void waiting in the dark. It was just an open hollow, a sky full of early stars, and four travelers ready to set up camp for the night. Jaren dropped his gear with a loud thud and rubbed his cold hands together. He dropped to his knees near a pile of dry driftwood and pulled out his flint striker. “If someone does not start a fire in the next two minutes, I am going to turn into a frozen statue right here beside this creek,” Jaren announced. “And do not look at me like that, Vane. I hauled the heavy kettle all day, which officially earns me fireplace exemption rights. I checked the rules. They are very clea

Asher planted his hiking boots firmly on the sun baked gravel of the summit. His heavy leather pack shifted against his shoulders as he looked out across the wide view. Spread out below them for fifty miles in every direction was a massive, waving sea of green grass, old oak groves, and winding silver rivers that flowed toward a hazy blue mountain range on the far horizon. Jaren marched up beside him and let out a long, dramatic whistle of pure awe as he took in the view. He shaded his eyes against the bright afternoon glare with one hand. “If anyone suggests we turn around and check the mileage back to the stone arch, I am throwing them into the nearest blackberry patch,” Jaren declared. “Because if we go back now, I might actually lose my mind. Look at that. It just keeps going. No end in sight. I like it.” Vane dropped his gear pack onto a flat boulder and wiped a layer of trail dust off his glasses.

Jaren stopped for a second and leaned both hands against his knees while he caught his breath. He wiped a streak of sweat off his forehead with his sleeve and glared up at the endless zigzag path winding higher into the trees. “If anyone tells me that mountain air is good for the complexion, I am going to feed them a pinecone,” Jaren gasped. “My lungs feel like they are inhaling tiny glass shards, and we have only been climbing for an hour. This is personal. The mountain is doing this on purpose.” Elara stepped past him with an easy, rhythmic stride that made the steep incline look almost effortless. She adjusted the straps of her pack and tossed a cheerful grin over her shoulder. “That is because you spent the entire week in the lowlands eating pastries instead of doing cardio, Jaren,” she laughed. “Keep moving or the pine needles are going to cover you completely before we make camp. I will not dig you out. Fair warning.” Jaren pushed off his knees and forced his legs back

Spread out beneath them in every direction was a wide, uninterrupted view of jagged mountain ranges, deep glacier carved valleys, and distant rolling plains melting into the blue horizon. There were no tracking beacons. No automated patrols. No lingering echoes of the old wars trying to pull him back into the dark. It was just an endless expanse of wild country stretching out under a vast, cloudless sky. Jaren hauled his exhausted frame over the final rocky ledge and collapsed flat onto his back with his arms spread wide. He stared up at the drifting white clouds overhead and grinned. “If anyone tells me there is another taller rock hidden behind this one, I am going to sit down right here and refuse to move until spring,” Jaren panted. “Though I have to admit, the ceiling of this particular room has magnificent architecture. Look at those clouds. They are just floating there like they own the place.” Elara stepped up beside Asher and unbuckled her heavy gear pack to let it drop

A clear stream meandered right through the middle of the green expanse. Its shallow water sparkled in the late afternoon sun as it wound its way toward a still, mirror like tarn at the far end of the valley. There were no steep scree slopes to fight. No freezing gales to battle. No mechanical threats waiting in the shadows. It was just pure, untouched wilderness breathing quietly under a vast open sky. Jaren dropped his heavy pack onto the soft turf with a loud thud and stretched his arms high above his head. He looked around the green bowl with a wide, impressed grin. “If someone tells me we have to climb another mountain today, I am going to lie down in this grass and pretend to be a boulder,” Jaren groaned. “Okay, Vane. Your geographical luck is officially legendary. How did you know this hidden paradise was hiding right behind that ridge? Did the rocks whisper it to you?” Vane knelt down beside the winding stream to unclip his tin cup. He scooped up a measure of the ice cold