The recruits were exhausted, their bodies aching from the relentless pace of their escape. For hours, they had pressed forward, guided only by instinct and the fading hope that they would find shelter before nightfall.
And then, they saw it.
A village.
It was small, barely twenty houses at first glance, yet oddly beautiful. Unlike the other settlements they had seen, which had been either abandoned or destroyed, this one was untouched. Hidden.
A thick, almost shimmering wall surrounded it, blending seamlessly into the environment. The recruits paused at the sight, exchanging uncertain glances.
“What kind of wall is this?” one of them muttered, running a hand over the smooth, impenetrable surface.
Rai narrowed her eyes, stepping closer. The air around the wall seemed to hum, faint rip
