Lord Vord stood there for a moment longer, his brows slightly drawn together as he looked across the devastated courtyard, his gaze moving slowly from one fallen vampire to another, as if he could not quite connect what he was seeing with what he expected, and behind him the torn space sealed itself with a faint ripple, leaving only silence and confusion in its wake.
He had arrived with pride still lingering in his chest, the joy of breakthrough fresh and burning within him, and yet now that same feeling was mixed with something else, something far less satisfying, as the scene before him did not match the image he had imagined when he stepped through that spatial crack.
"What happened…" he repeated under his breath, though this time the question carried more weight, more confusion, as if he was trying to convince himself that there must be a simple explanation.
Then, from among the scattered vampires, a voice rose, trembling and weak, yet filled with urgency.
"My Lord…!"
