The Scar lived up to its name. For three days, she climbed a staircase of shattered slate, the sun a hammer on her back. On the fourth day, she found the door.
The old maps called it the “Bleak Scar,” a wound of rock and dust where even the hardiest nomads turned back. But to Elara, it was simply the next step. Wanderer
She sat down on a rock, pulled out her water-skin, and laughed until her sides hurt. The door behind her had vanished. The Scar lived up to its name
She pressed her palm to the cool surface. It gave way like water, and she stumbled through. pulled out her water-skin