The transition back to the back was jarring, a full-body assault on his senses.
The frigid air of the Shiver-Glass Peaks vanished in a sudden, brutal rush, replaced by the sterile, cool atmosphere of the circular hall.
The scent of ozone and crystalline ice was gone, replaced by the faint, antiseptic smell of polished stone and mana filters.
Kael stood blinking for a moment, his senses still adjusting.
The icy sting on his skin was gone, but the deep, bone-weary ache in his muscles was very, very real. He felt a profound, physical exhaustion, the kind that settles in your bones and makes every motion feel like a deliberate act of will.
He walked to a nearby receptacle, his footsteps echoing in the empty chamber. He held up the Rimefang Ravager's crystalline scale, a razor-sharp shard of obsidian and ice.
The receptacle hummed, a soft, electronic whisper, and a single, crisp notification appeared in his vision.
[Mission completed]
