Dawn broke across the Ashen Plains in disjointed fragments, as if the sun itself struggled to manifest properly in this warped region. Reed stood atop a jagged outcropping of rock that seemed to pulse beneath his feet, surveying the twisted landscape that separated their expedition from the temple. His crystalline spine straightened with an audible series of clicks as he adjusted his posture, the network of luminous veins beneath his metallic skin pulsing more rapidly than usual.
"The dimensional instability is getting worse," he said, his voice carrying harmonics that hadn't been present three days ago. "The temple's location is... fluctuating."
