Chapter 113: Into the Everstorm

The obsidian monolith of the Oracle's temple receded into the distance, a solitary beacon against the crimson sand of the Aethel Badlands. Before them stretched the desolate expanse of the Everstorm, a swirling vortex of energy that defied description. Lightning danced across the horizon, illuminating a landscape of jagged rock formations that seemed to defy gravity, twisting and contorting like petrified screams. Louis adjusted the straps of his exo-suit, the advanced technology salvaged from the X-1 facility shielding him from the harsh Aethean environment. Amelia stood beside him, her face grim but resolute, her own suit crackling with contained power. "Ready?" he asked, his voice barely audible over the howling wind that seemed to emanate from the storm itself. Amelia nodded, her eyes fixed on the churning vortex ahead. "As ready as we'll ever be." Their journey to the Everstorm had been fraught with peril. They had braved sandstorms that threatened to bury them alive,