Kaelen and Mira found themselves standing on a barren, alien landscape. The sky above them was an impossible shade of violet, and the ground beneath their feet crackled with energy. The landscape was eerily quiet, save for the low hum that seemed to emanate from the very ground.
"This isn't real," Mira muttered, shaking her head. "This is... this is a simulation. A projection."
But Kaelen didn't respond. He couldn't. The air felt thick with pressure, as though they were standing in the center of a storm that hadn't yet revealed its full force.
A distant rumbling echoed across the horizon. Something was moving toward them. Something massive.
As it drew closer, Kaelen could feel the ground tremble beneath his feet. From the darkness emerged a colossal shape—a massive, monolithic structure, its surface covered in intricate, glowing symbols.
"This is it," Kaelen whispered. "This is what's been controlling the Vigilant. This is the heart of it all."
Before them, the structure loomed. Its entrance was dark, like a gaping maw, ready to swallow them whole.
"Are we supposed to go in there?" Mira asked, her voice full of dread.
Kaelen didn't answer. He was already moving toward the structure. Whatever this place was, it was the key. The answers lay inside.