The moment Jacob stepped through the boundary, it was as if he had passed through a hidden veil of fire; the world suddenly twisted around him.
The moment a terrifying heat enveloped his entire being. This wasn't normal heat, but a deeper kind of heat that could be felt through one's soul.
Furthermore, with Jacob's current senses, he felt as if the desert was observing him. The dunes ahead, which were still a moment ago, seemed to be shifting now!
Now, the Ashen Mirage Desert appeared to stretch endlessly, neither lifeless nor alive. Black-gray sand swirled under a copper sky, broken only by jagged obsidian ridges and skeletal remains of what might've once been colossal beasts or constructs. Mirage-spires shimmered on the horizon, only to vanish when stared at directly.
When Jacob looked back, the land behind him vanished as if swallowed by the desert. His eyes flickered with a hint of apprehension but more curiosity.
