The sand beneath their feet began to change as well.
A powerful gust blasted through the seams in the walls and swept across the ground. Every grain of sand around them was blown away, revealing a circular stone platform with perfectly even edges.
Its surface was completely smooth, surrounded by an almost invisible seam.
A section of the mechanical wall slowly opened, and a massive storage compartment extended from within. Then a mechanical arm reached beneath the platform. Metal supports unfolded around its edge, securing the entire slab.
A deep mechanical hum came from below.
The next instant, gravity vanished.
The moment Ethan lifted one foot, his body floated upward. Auri grabbed the hem of his clothes and drifted up with him. The others lost their footing as well. Some rolled over in midair, some spread their wings to steady themselves, and others simply pushed off the edge of the barrier and slowly swam through the weightless space.
The mechanical arm continued to lift.
