Confident in his theory, Ethan allowed himself a small smile and stepped back onto the pale, chalky earth without hesitation.
Behind him, however, the bounty hunters trailing through the forbidden zone were having a far rougher experience.
When they had first crossed the boundary, many of them had been ecstatic. Years vanished from their bodies in an instant. Wrinkles smoothed out. Old injuries faded. Some, freed from the weight of a decade or more, found themselves restored to their physical prime. That initial excitement did not last long. In the second layer, several people were abruptly reduced to toddlers the moment they stepped forward. Panic erupted. Screaming and sobbing, they scrambled backward across the safety line, terrified to advance even another step. From that point on, only those with enough years to spare dared to continue.
Then they reached the chasm.
And then they met the hand.
