A long while later, Oliver and Rook finally emerged from the Serpent's Hollow and arrived at the border separating it from the Scorched Plains. A weathered stone bridge divided the two drastically different regions. One was the dominion of a distinct creature they had narrowly escaped from, while the other was a merciless wasteland consumed by blistering heat and infested with Puppets.
…The Garden of Death's most persistent predators.
Master and beast slowly approached the bridge before stopping near its edge, both staring toward the distant expanse ahead. Beyond the crossing stretched a desolate land coated in charred black earth, though the distance prevented Oliver from fully discerning its details. Meanwhile, daylight had completely overtaken the heavens, drenching the Garden in a strangely beautiful radiance.
Naturally, his innate affinity could no longer operate at full capacity beneath such overwhelming illumination.
