DAMIEN

Marina groaned as she sat up, clutching her head. Her fingers trembled as she reached for her dagger, the runes on its blade glowing faintly. “That wasn’t supposed to happen,” she muttered, her voice laced with both frustration and awe.

Everyone scrambled to their feet, their eyes wide with alarm. “That surge… it wasn’t just residual magic. Something is on the other side.”

Seth cursed under his breath, rubbing his shoulder where he had landed hard against the ground. “If we weren’t the ones stopping it, then who the hell is keeping it open?”

I exhaled sharply, wiping the dust from my face. “We need to regroup. Marina, can...