The clearing stayed quiet long after the breach closed.
No one spoke at first.
The wind moved through the trees as if nothing had happened, yet the ground still felt wrong under Sarya's feet. The soil where the creature had touched was gone. It was not burned or broken. It simply did not exist anymore. A shallow hollow marked the spot, smooth and empty.
Kael helped her stand fully.
"You pushed too far," he said quietly.
"I pushed just enough," she replied, though her arm still trembled.
Sereth walked slowly to the edge of the hollow. Its glowing eyes scanned the space where reality had been erased.
"This entity is not bound to one realm," Sereth said. "It exists between strain points."
Hollen's voice was steady again, but tight. "Explain that in simple terms."
Sereth turned toward her. "When tension builds between connected dimensions, weak areas form. This entity forms inside those weak areas."
