At 7:30 PM on the Northern Continent, Lince finally checked into his hotel room on the twelfth floor.
He pulled back the curtains from the floor-to-ceiling window, revealing a perfect view of the snow-covered wilderness north of Ice River City.
He had to admit, he had definitely chosen the right hotel.
Both its location and the room's orientation offered an excellent view.
A small white hamster sat motionless on Lince's shoulder, clutching a sunflower seed.
Its lively eyes darted back and forth, looking from the view outside the window to Lince.
It looked just like a curious little baby.
At that moment, though Lince's body remained unchanged, a kaleidoscopic halo of light veiled his eyes.
His human pupils transformed, narrowing into vertical slits like a snake's.
Within the center of these slits, a golden stream of light swirled.
His enhanced vision allowed him to easily see everything within a nearly thirty-five-kilometer radius, all the way to the distant horizon.
