In fact, Shade's perceived temperature at that moment, as reflected in the environment, was only around sixty degrees. He should not have reacted so strongly to that temperature if he simply endured it. The unbearable dry heat was clearly the work of the strange sand sea itself.
Tree Father never placed Shade somewhere safe from the start. Thinking of a "desert" immediately brought "giant worms" to mind, yet Shade had not felt anything like vibrations beneath the sand. Only afterward did he realize that the high temperature and sunlight that seemed ready to melt him were the true dangers. He could not remain where he was.
There were absolutely no landmarks around him. Rolling dunes stretched all the way to the horizon without any change in scenery. Shade ran straight ahead, but even while running, he did not feel the wind carrying away any of his body heat.
Fortunately, Tree Father also never placed him too far from the mission site. After Shade stumbled and rolled down from the crest of a dune, a building finally appeared in the distance. The people inside noticed him, and one of them frantically waved at him.
Four strangers stood inside a square building of gray stone not far away. It looked like a ruined Temple, even more dilapidated than the Forgotten Church, because half of its main structure had already collapsed.
The entire building had only one floor, which was why Shade had not spotted it from afar.
The one constantly waving at him from the entrance was a blue-haired young girl. An elderly old woman stood behind her. At the window to the left was a lightly tanned, black-haired woman dressed quite scantily, while at the window to the right stood a very tall woman with gray-white hair.
As she waved, the