Longevity

Generations after the Great Horror, the surviving peoples of the eastern world know the western continent only through a haunting legend: once each century, beneath the light of a full moon, it rises from the West Water. Captain Hinrik is determined to discover whether the lost land still exists—and whether anything resembling civilization survived there.

His crew aboard the Semilunis considers the expedition reckless, especially after sky fires destroyed the eastern and southern continents. When the ship finally reaches the mouth of a vast river, a scouting party ventures inland through a desolate landscape of ash-colored rock, deadly luminescent patches, and almost no sign of life.

With supplies running low and hope fading, the scouts uncover a strangely engineered cavern hidden in the mountains. Its dark, orderly structures and enigmatic markings suggest that the vanished inhabitants left behind more than ruins. This compact science-fiction morality tale asks what the future may learn from the remnants of a civilization that believed itself prepared for anything.