The rift tore open with a violent hiss, slicing through the stale air of the chamber like a wound. A shimmer of unnatural light bled across the floor, and from its depths two figures emerged. Not Sera and Myia but—
Zakar stiffened, eyes wide in disbelief. "Wait… what!?"
He had expected the rifts to warn him if intruders forced their way in. His system should have screamed alarms, filled his vision with flashing alerts. But there had been nothing. Just silence until they stepped through.
His pulse thundered. If the system hadn't reacted… what level were these two?
One of them, a young man with sharp eyes and an arrogance that seemed to radiate off him, surveyed the room with disdain.
"What a pitiful sight," he muttered, his tone a mixture of scorn and amusement. "This is where we were supposed to meet the person? What a mess."
