The party was in full swing. The soft music, the cheerful chatter, and the clinking of glasses filled the grand hall. For the first time in what felt like a lifetime, Ryan was actually starting to relax.
He had just finished his dance with the charming and slightly-too-curious Seraphina and was now engaged in a very serious debate with Chris Magnus about whether pineapple belonged on pizza.
Chris was arguing, with great passion, that it was a crime against nature.
It was a perfect, normal moment in a very not-normal world. And then, it was shattered.
A low, urgent hum, a sound only Ryan could hear, vibrated in his pocket. He reached in and pulled out the Sector Command Orb, the small, pearl-like sphere he had gotten from one of his first treasure caches.
It was usually cool and smooth to the touch, but now it was warm and pulsing with a faint, angry red light. It was a direct, emergency alert from the god Weaver itself.
