Cold stone holds me before the world forms.
It feels rough beneath my cheek, colder than winter air, colder than anything I have ever touched. My breath leaves me in shallow clouds. My fingers curl weakly against the surface, scraping against carved lines that pulse with faint silver light.
A low hum echoes around me. It vibrates through my bones. It feels alive.
I open my eyes.
A vast temple surrounds me. Endless. Impossible. Built from moonlight shaped into stone. Pillars rise high into a sky that does not exist. The architecture curves like flowing water, every surface carved with symbols that shift as I look at them.
The air glows with a soft white that moves like fog.
My body aches. Every muscle feels torn and reformed. My ribs sting with each breath. My legs throb as if I ran f
