The air on Mars was no longer thin and dead.
Ash took a deep breath, and his lungs expanded with a satisfying, heavy fullness. The atmosphere was thick, warm, and saturated with cosmic energy so dense it felt almost liquid. Every inhalation carried the rich, loamy scent of turned earth, mixed with the sharp, clean tang of ozone and blooming spirit herbs.
Beside him, Sovereign Orrin Reyes was doing the exact same thing, his eyes closed, a look of profound awe settling over his weathered features.
"Let's see what we've built," Ash said quietly.
They didn't need to walk the planet to inspect it. Standing on the surface of a newly born world, they simply closed their eyes and spread their divine senses.
