The second Lucen stepped through the rift, the world changed.
Not violently. Not with a flash or scream or system buzz.
Just shifted.
Like slipping between thoughts.
His boots crunched down into packed snow.
Not deep, half a step, maybe two inches,but enough that the sound echoed.
The air hit next. Sharp. Clean. Cold in the throat kind of cold.
Lucen blinked.
His system responded instantly.
[ZONE: Tier 5 – Unmarked Drift]
[Status: Active / Core Unstable]
[Environment Hazard: Low / Cold Exposure Accumulation – Begin Tracking]
[System Note: Recommended Exit Within 3 Hours]
'Cute,' Lucen thought. 'It thinks I listen to warnings.'
He looked up.
Trees.
Tall ones.
Old.
Thick pines layered in snow like someone had painted over the world with frost and forgot to stop. No visible monsters. No movement. No sounds except his own breath and the faint, constant drift of wind curling between the trunks.
His system pinged again.
[Terrain Sync: Complete]
