The third coordinate led Sage far from the familiar sprawl of Greyvale's outskirts, beyond the crooked roads and thinning treelines, into a region where the earth itself seemed scarred by ancient violence.
Jagged stone walls rose like broken teeth on either side of a narrow valley, their surfaces cracked and layered, veined with darker minerals that caught the faint moonlight like the dull sheen of old steel.
Wind swept through the canyon in low, restless currents, carrying the dry scent of dust and metal. It whispered against the rock as if the land were murmuring in a language too ancient for humans to comprehend.
Sage stood at the mouth of the valley for several long seconds, unmoving. His bloodstained coat stirred faintly around his legs as he surveyed the terrain.
