The small shifts that had begun to take root in that foreign world turned out to carry far greater consequences than anyone had anticipated.
The longer the connection between the two worlds persisted, the clearer it became that the arrival of the new world had shaken the old order an order that had long endured only through fear.
Sophia could feel that pressure spreading slowly through the network of explorers.
And this time…
That pressure felt far more dangerous than the tension of their first encounter.
Sophia stood in silence, observing the flow of light throughout the network.
Its rhythm had shifted once more. No longer calm as it had been not long before.
Now it surged with clashing waves of emotion.
Anxiety.
Caution.
Confusion.
"They are beginning to face internal conflict," she said softly.
Beside her, Adrian Blackwood watched the stability of the inter‑world bond with sharp, keen eyes.
"And it is happening sooner than projected."
