The world feels different when they return.
Not because of a change in place.
But because something is now clearer.
Aurelia stands still.
Her eyes stare ahead.
But her mind is still in that room.
Among the red lines.
Before the figure who called himself the guardian.
"You are the gate."
Those words do not fade.
They do not blur.
Instead, they sink deeper.
Become more real.
"Aurelia."
Orion's voice calls softly.
Aurelia blinks.
Her focus returns.
She takes a slow breath.
"I'm fine."
But Kael narrows his eyes.
"You don't look like it."
Ragnar smirks slightly.
"If she weren't fine, she would've already destroyed something."
Aurelia does not respond.
Her gaze returns to the north.
The energy there—
Is no longer just felt.
Now… it is seen.
The distant sky is cracked.
Like glass about to shatter.
Red light seeps through the gap.
Flowing.
Pulsing.
As if… alive.
"That's it," Orion murmurs.
"The center."
Kael lets out a slow breath.
