Quackprep.ork

The page loaded instantly. No flashy graphics, no spinning wheels. Just a stark white background, a single line of text, and a countdown timer.

One square left. The center square. The duck icon.

It showed a live satellite view of a small, uninhabited island in the South Pacific. On the island, a structure. A domed building, overgrown with vines, but clearly ancient. The dome’s surface was covered in the same seven-by-seven grid of symbols. quackprep.ork

A new message:

A new message appeared:

No lesson. Just a video feed.

Her curiosity, a feral cat that had gotten her into trouble more than once, clawed its way to the surface. The page loaded instantly

The mallard waddled back into the pond and vanished beneath the surface.