The Aurora Borealis cut through the waters of the Pacific Ocean at maximum speed. The magical generators were operating near their limits as the entire ÓBroin fleet advanced toward Easter Island.
Tension was evident aboard the fleet.
Maeve stood in front of the main screen.
—How long until we reach the location of the last signal?
—Twelve minutes, ma'am —replied the navigation officer.
—We have changes. The dimensional fluctuations are increasing.
Daniel watched the screens with concern.
—Ma'am, I don't like this. If that man was telling the truth, they must already be preparing to cross over.
—I know.
Orla rose from her console and approached Maeve.
—The readings keep increasing. We have never recorded such a large concentration of energy.
—Keep all sensors focused on the magical distortions and the ley lines —Maeve ordered.
Suddenly, a signal appeared on the communication systems.
—We are receiving a transmission —Orla reported.
—Where is it coming from? —Maeve asked.
—Unknown origin, but I assume it is from the same person.
—Put it on screen.
Kaisel's image appeared before them. His expression remained calm.
—We meet again sooner than expected —he said, addressing Maeve.— I see you decided to follow us after what I told you.
—Did you think I would simply let you leave?
A faint smile appeared on Kaisel's face.
—A predictable response. However, let me tell you that it changes nothing. All of our ships have already crossed over, and we are about to close the portal.
—I will give you a small piece of advice. What happens next depends entirely on you.
—Tell all your leaders to surrender when we return. We do not wish to create an age of destruction.
—Our advance force was sent to measure your strength, and now we know everything we needed to know.
—Within a year, all of our forces will return to this plane, and as you have already noticed, we are superior.
—If our small reconnaissance force caused you such turmoil, imagine what awaits you when we attack with all of our strength.
Suddenly, Daniel asked a question.
—You say you do not want destruction. Then why did you attack us?
—Why did we attack you? Because when we were isolated in the Mirror Dimension, we were already at war. When we returned, the first thing we saw was your fleet.
—We simply responded to those standing in front of us.
—Or did you not do the same?
His words caused the atmosphere to become even more tense.
—What does that mean? —Maeve asked.
—It means we were isolated without negotiation.
—For us, the war never ended.
—And from what I can see, despite the thousands of years and countless generations that have passed, you still remain under the control of the Supreme Beings.
—In other words, you are still their toys.
Before Maeve could answer, several alarms suddenly sounded.
—Massive energy spike! —one of the operators shouted.
—Where?
Suddenly, the waters of the ocean began to churn violently.
A gigantic distortion appeared above the sea.
Space itself seemed to bend on the horizon.
—What the hell is that? —Daniel asked.
Orla and her team quickly checked the sensors.
—It's an enormous dimensional portal. I never imagined something of that size could be created.
—Their technology and mastery of magic are on an entirely different level.
The energy readings continued to rise uncontrollably.
Several sensors even began to fail.
—We can't measure it properly —one of the technicians reported.— The numbers keep increasing.
Kaisel calmly observed the scene.
Then he spoke again.
—For thousands of years, we have waited.
—We were cast into a place where time practically stands still, but that cannot be called living.
—Furthermore, the Supreme Beings did horrible things to our people.
—And for that, they must pay.
—You would be wise to reconsider which side you will stand on when our entire fleet and our people return.
—Because not all of us are as calm as I am.
The transmission ended.
Frustration was visible on the faces of everyone present.
Maeve remained silent.
Questions flooded her mind.
What is all of this? What exactly was he trying to tell us?
The same thoughts repeated over and over.
In the distance, they watched as an enormous ship entered the portal.
—It's bigger than our ship —Daniel said.
The Annihilator disappeared into the massive gray opening, and the portal began to close.
The energy readings dropped rapidly.
A few minutes later, only the ocean remained.
Empty.
Silent.
Ahead of them, only the shores of Easter Island could be seen, its residents engulfed in panic, unable to understand what they had just witnessed.
Maeve continued staring at the screens.
—We're returning to Ireland. I want every piece of information that exists about the Mirror Dimension.
She looked toward the place where the dimensional gateway had vanished and declared firmly:
—We'll be waiting for them.
Meanwhile, in the Naval Base of Salina Cruz, Oaxaca...
The ARM Reformador had docked at the base alongside the other Mexican and allied vessels that had participated in the operation.
The damaged ships had begun repairs while doctors and specialized personnel cared for the wounded.
Ignacio Rodríguez had barely slept for almost two days.
The deep circles under his eyes were obvious, but whenever he had a few free moments, he returned to the same place.
The same bed.
The pilot he had rescued from the sea during the battle still lay there.
The doctors had stabilized her condition, but she remained unconscious.
—You came back again? —one of the doctors on duty asked.— You should get some rest. You look exhausted.
—I'll rest later —Ignacio replied.— I just want to make sure she's going to recover.
—Is she family?
—No. I rescued her during the battle. She was floating among the wreckage. But she reminds me a lot of my little sister. I think they're about the same age.
—She's lucky to be alive. She arrived in critical condition.
Ignacio remained silent as he looked at the young woman.
The burn injuries had been treated, but the physical exhaustion was still obvious.
Suddenly, one of the monitors emitted a signal.
The girl's eyelids began to move.
Ignacio immediately stood up.
—Doctor! Doctor, she's waking up!
The doctor and two nurses rushed over.
The young woman slowly opened her eyes.
Her gaze moved around the room, unable to understand where she was.
—Where am I? —she asked weakly.
—You're in a hospital. You're safe now —one of the nurses replied.
—You were rescued after your aircraft crashed into the sea.
The girl tried to sit up, but the doctor stopped her.
—Easy. You shouldn't move yet.
She closed her eyes for a moment.
—How are my teammates?
—We'll tell you about them later. Right now, you need to rest.
The young woman closed her eyes again.
Explosions.
Fire.
The ocean.
And then, nothing.
When she opened her eyes again, she looked at Ignacio.
—Who are you?
—I'm the one who found you in the water.
The young woman remained silent for several seconds.
—Thank you for saving me. I owe you my life.
—You don't need to thank me. For now, just rest and recover. I'll come visit you another day.
The doctor checked the monitors once again.
—He's right. You need to rest.
She nodded weakly.
Before closing her eyes again, she looked at Ignacio one last time.
—Thank you again for saving me.
Her breathing stabilized shortly afterward.
Ignacio said goodbye and left the room.
For the first time since the battle ended, he felt something resembling peace.
At the same time, at the ÓBroin Mansion in Ireland...
The infirmary remained silent.
Ciara, Arley, and Dmitri watched Natasha.
The Siberian Tiger Mark glowed on her left arm while small particles of frost floated around her.
—There's no doubt about it —Dmitri said.— The Mark has chosen her.
Ciara nodded.
—That means Mikhail is dead.
The situation was still difficult to accept.
—This girl has never received training for this —Arley said.
—The Marks do not always choose the most prepared person —Ciara replied.— They simply follow the bloodline.
Dmitri looked at the young woman.
—When she wakes up, her entire life will change.
Ciara remained silent for a few moments.
A few minutes later, the news began reaching all the Guardian Families.
At the Orleans Mansion in France, Sophie was the first to receive the report.
She read the message twice before announcing the news.
She entered one of the rooms where most of the family's key members were gathered.
Noah was among them.
—We've just received a message from Ireland. A new bearer of the Tiger Mark has appeared.
Noah and Étienne stopped reviewing the reports.
—What did you say? Who was chosen? —Noah asked.
—Natasha Kalinova —Sophie replied.
Silence filled the room.
—Then it's official —Étienne said.
—Mikhail didn't survive.
The door suddenly opened and Eleonor entered the room.
Her expression showed that she already knew the news.
—Is this true?
—Yes —Sophie replied.
Eleonor lowered her gaze.
That confirmed her grandfather's death.
—She worked with us at the mansion. She's a normal girl.
No one spoke.
—And now she has to carry a Mark —Noah said.
For several seconds, Eleonor remained silent.
Then she raised her head.
The sadness was still visible on her face.
But so was determination.
—She's going to need a lot of help —Sophie said.
—She'll have it —Eleonor replied.— I'm not going to leave her alone.
Noah placed a hand on her shoulder.
—That's right. We'll support her.
No one had anything more to say.
Because everyone in that room understood the reality.
Becoming the bearer of a Mark was not a privilege.
It was a responsibility that changed a person's life forever.
And Natasha was about to discover that for herself.