The portal dropped them back into the dead forest. Nathan stopped walking and took a deep breath.
The air smelled like wet dirt and cold wind. The ground under his boots was solid and muddy. The trees around them were bare, ugly, and real. It was his world. But as he turned around and watched the glowing archway fade into nothing, he felt a sick feeling in his stomach. What they had just left behind felt completely real, too.
The Shattered Throne. The floating rocks in the grey sky. The warring armies. General Kael's heavy, angry respect. Lady Seraphine's tired face. Corvus crying when he finally sat on the Throne to save his people. They didn't feel like video game characters. Didn't feel like fake programs made of magic. They felt like real people who lived hard, painful lives.
'Master,' Mirko said quietly through their mental link. 'You are troubled. I can feel it.'
"Just thinking," Nathan whispered.
