The 𝘿𝘼𝙍𝙆 is generous and it is patient and it always 𝙒𝙄𝙉𝙎 – but in the heart of its strength lies its 𝙬𝙚𝙖𝙠𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙨.

Midday. Sand gave way to neat patches of soil as a man approached Haven Lake, the bags slung over his shoulders only slightly more burdensome than the ones shadowing his eyes. His gaze drifted over the unattended rows of crops and irrigation networks, taking a mental note of just how much —

There the settlement was in all its freshly-built, farm-fed, water-rich glory; Haven Lake. Whispered rumors of an army of sentry bots guarding the place had clearly been wrong, but the high walls and watchtowers were indeed real. What other things real or imagined did those walls hide?