The teleportation was always jarring too quick, too sudden. One moment, we were on the streets of the capital, the oppressive tension of the crowd clinging to our skins. The next, the familiar opulence of the royal palace swallowed us whole. The transition felt like a jolt, like being sucked through a funnel, and before I could fully process the shift, I was standing in the grand foyer of the palace, surrounded by cold marble floors and looming stone pillars.
"Are you all alright?" Verania's voice cut through the haze, her gaze sweeping over each of us with practiced scrutiny. She was already scanning for injuries, her golden eyes narrowing in on us as if to confirm we weren't bruised, scratched, or otherwise damaged.
I opened my mouth to speak but was cut off by Sylvithra's voice, low but sharp, as she stepped beside Verania. "Are you injured?" Her violet gaze rested on me for a moment, a fraction of a second that held so much weight. "It's important. Tell me if you've been hurt."
