章 20: 20 Displaced

Zoe blinked, her eyes adjusting to the unfamiliar gloom as she stepped into the Shard.

Everything was different here—eerily different. The air felt heavy, like it carried a thousand unsaid secrets, vibrating with a hum that buzzed against her skin.

The sky was a deep, shifting mix of purples and blues, split with jagged streaks of lightning that cracked across the horizon.

She paused to take it in, her brow furrowing slightly.

It was like she'd entered a world where gravity and logic had decided to take a vacation.

Strange, almost ethereal stones hovered in midair, some small enough to be pebbles, while others were large enough to be entire islands.

They floated effortlessly, drifting as if carried on some invisible current, gliding through the atmosphere without a care.

The jagged rock formations cast long shadows over the barren land, which only made it feel even more like a fever dream.

And then there was the water.

クリエイターの想い
Zanden

Hey everyone!

I hope you enjoyed this chapter! Things are really starting to get weird (even for Zoe), and you know how much she loves that. The shard is definitely turning out to be more than just another obstacle—it’s practically a whole new twisted dimension. I wanted to lean into that otherworldly, almost dream-like vibe, where gravity, logic, and sanity all took a quick vacation. Plus, it’s a perfect way to test Zoe’s limits, especially now that she’s got a few missing companions—including Snacks!

Snacks definitely has some surprises coming up, and you’ll see just how resourceful he can be when the chips are down (or in Zoe’s case, maybe when the snacks are down). I’m super excited about where this is all leading, and I hope you are too.

Thanks as always for your amazing support and comments! Let me know your thoughts on the shard landscape—is it creepy enough for you yet? Or should we up the weirdness level even more? You know I’m always down for a bit more chaos.

Until next time!