Dawn arrived under a gray sky.
Kael and the witches were ready before the first ray of light crossed the Command Base's walls.
No unnecessary words.
The mission was clear.
—
The journey to Brussels' western sector was swift.
The streets were calm at that hour, only a few early merchants and travelers crossing the alleys.
The old central market still held its main stone structure, built centuries ago atop ruins older than the city itself.
—
Patricia led the navigation to the exact point of the pulse.
Amina and Samantha were already calibrating portable sensors, capturing the drifting energy waves.
Helena and Claudia covered the flanks, ready to intervene.
Nikita and Camila protected the rear.
Kael walked at the center, eyes alert to the environment and… to time.
—
They arrived at the market's main square.
And there, everyone felt it—even without equipment.
A sudden chill.
Like an ancient breath crossing the space.
At the center of the square, among stones worn by time, a mark began to form.
A circle.
With symbols only jumpers would recognize.
Kael stopped.
His breathing steady.
— This isn't a simple anomaly — he said quietly. — It's a gate.
Amina confirmed through the scanner:
— The energy structure matches ancestral portals.
— But there's an unknown component... something neither from the League nor the Abyss.
Samantha added:
— Something... or someone... is trying to open this passage.
—
Suddenly, the pulse ceased.
The lines of the circle faded slowly, like ashes carried by the wind.
But the message had already been delivered:
The gate was forming.
And time, once again, had begun to call.
Kael turned to the group:
— We'll return.
— No premature actions.
He looked one last time at the empty ground.
Not every gate should be closed.
But none should be crossed unprepared.