Once Zora stepped fully through the spatial field, a wave of vertigo slammed into her. She stumbled, catching herself against the wall, hand covering her mouth.
"Look at her! She can never handle it!" a woman giggled.
Zora held up a finger without looking — a clear shut up — as she fought through the nausea. A few deep breaths later, she peeled off the wall and made her way to the oval-shaped table in the center of the room.
"Glad you could make it!" Jason called out from across the table. He sat with military-straight posture, close-cropped black hair and silver eyes fixed on her.
Zora forced a smile. "Wouldn't miss it for the world."
To her left, someone made a gagging sound. "Get a room, you two, please!" Lena groaned dramatically, legs kicked up on the table, hands mockingly around her throat. Her long blonde hair hung messily over one eye.
Zora calmly walked over and kicked Lena's chair out from under her.
"Ugh—!" Lena grunted as she hit the ground. "You wanna go, bitch?!"
On the opposite side of the table sat the twins — Paul and Ivory. Paul, proud of his thick beard and buzzed brown hair, was leaned back with his arms crossed and eyes shut. As usual, he was asleep. Ivory, with sleek brown hair and sharp blue eyes, watched the chaos with mild amusement.
"This is absolutely the best place to fight," she said with a wicked grin.
Zora rolled her eyes. "You're not helping."
Then, someone else stepped through the portal behind her.
"Oh? Is a fight starting again?" a sly voice asked.
Zora's shoulders slumped. "Hello, Tori."
Tori strolled in with her usual confidence. Her braided hair framed her sharp cheekbones, and her rich brown skin made her stand out against the stark whiteness of the room. She walked straight over to Paul and plugged his nose.
Paul jolted awake, coughing. "HUH? WHAT?"
He flailed, falling out of his chair as Ivory burst out laughing beside him.
Jason cleared his throat loudly. "Alright, that's enough."
Everyone quieted.
"They should be here any minute. Take your seats."
Zora slid into the head chair, still grumbling. Lena grunted and dropped beside her. Tori smirked and flopped into the seat next to Lena. Paul picked up his chair, dusted it off, and sat down with a scowl aimed directly at Tori.
After a few quiet moments, someone stepped through the portal — and the pressure in the room shifted. Every person at the table straightened in their seat.
"Good to see everyone here," a deep voice said.
Heavy footsteps echoed across the room. A man came into view — bald, with a kind but weathered face and dark blue eyes that scanned each of them in turn. He stopped behind Jason and spoke:
"For those of you who don't know me, I'm General Theron Vance, commander of this camp and primary aide to the President."
He gestured to the group.
"You're here because your Eidolons make you valuable — not just to this camp, but to what remains of the world beyond."
His gaze lingered on Zora for a second too long before he continued.
"There were many factors involved in assembling this team—"
A hand shot up.
"Yes... Lena, is it?"
Lena stood, arms crossed. "So let me get this straight. You expect us to work as a team, but half of us barely know each other?"
Jason rubbed his forehead, groaning softly. Theron raised a brow.
"Lena, tell me: what is an Eidolon?"
Lena froze. Zora could see the panic creeping in. Her lips parted — no words came out.
"It's a simple question," Theron said, walking toward her.
She shrank back with every step until he stood towering over her.
"Answer it."
"I-I don't—"
Theron turned to Jason. "Looks like she needs a refresher… unless someone else would like to save her the embarrassment?"
He turned toward Zora. "You?"
Zora sighed and stood up. Lena looked at her, silently begging for help.
"An Eidolon," Zora began, "is a manifestation of someone's soul. Their life experiences, emotional state, trauma — all of it shapes how the Eidolon forms, what it does, and how powerful it is."
Theron nodded, slowly clapping.
"Well said."
He turned back to Lena. "I'd suggest keeping your outbursts to yourself from now on."
With that, he returned to the front of the room. A screen shimmered into view behind him, displaying a digital map of the United States.
"This," he said, "was the United States before the Collapse."
He swiped his hand. The map expanded — far beyond its previous borders.
"And this... was the United States one day after."
Another flick of his hand — four bold colors now covered the map: red, black, purple, and yellow. At the center — where Iowa and South Dakota once met — was a single green dot.
"Effectively, the United States no longer exists. Yes, the President lives, but no government remains. No system. No structure. No rule of law."
Zora leaned forward, resting her head in her hand.
Theron continued. "About a year ago, Earth underwent catastrophic spatial expansion. Fault lines ruptured. Landmasses grew and shrank. Entire new territories appeared overnight."
Zora's eyes widened. She glanced around the table. Everyone looked equally stunned — except Jason.
"We estimate the universe itself expanded to six times its original size. The planets weren't spared."
Zora raised her hand. Theron gave her a slight nod.
"These new lands... did they bring anything with them? Are they safe?"
Theron waved her question off. "We'll get to that. For now, just listen."
He gestured to the screen again. "The four corners of the United States — or what's left of it — are now under the control of Abhorrents and Sovereigns. Every attempt to reclaim these areas by force has ended in catastrophic failure."
The screen zoomed out, revealing the full continent in its expanded scale. The four color-coded zones stretched across the entire map.
"To the north, we have the Spider Queen. Her domain covers Alaska, most of Canada, and the upper U.S. — Montana, North Dakota, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, northern New York, and northern New England."
He paused.
"Don't forget. Earth didn't just change — it grew. Much, much bigger than you think."