***
{Inside The Projection}
The Shams was a Goddamn monster.
It hung in the sky like a burning eye, staring down at Malik with nothing but hatred.
The wind howled low, and the heat shimmered in waves, twisting the air until even the sky looked like it was melting.
There were no words to describe just how hot it was... well, except one.
Jahannam.
Absolute and unrelenting Hellfire.
Malik sat beneath a rock's shadow, wrapped in a massive white cloth that draped over him like a cocoon.
The fabric billowed with every gust, keeping the killing Shams off his skin.
It was too damn big, honestly, dragging a little when he walked, but out here? It was the only thing keeping him from getting roasted alive.
Only his face peeked out, and even that was wrapped in cloth.
It was a green scarf that left just his twin coins exposed.
The closer he got to the Edge, the more attention they drew.
It wasn't that the people here found gold strange… no, well, at least not entirely.
