"The difference between a hero and a statistic is usually just narrative convenience."
***
The portal hung in the air like a wound in reality itself.
Its edges crackled with unstable energy that made my teeth ache. Twenty teams clustered before the tear in space. I could taste the ozone on my tongue. Sharp. Metallic. Wrong in a way that set every nerve ending on fire.
The containment field around the entrance flickered every few seconds. Revealed hairline fractures in the magical framework that held this gateway stable. Each flicker lasted maybe half a second.
But that was enough.
More than enough for someone who knew what to look for.
One good surge and this thing could collapse. Taking half the hillside with it. And everyone standing on it. Maybe the whole staging area if we're really unlucky.
The professors didn't seem concerned. Or maybe they just hid it better than the students.
