Crossing the gateway felt like walking through the heart of something still breathing.
Weavings of Origin flickered all around them, light and shadow weaving with too much volatility, like threads spun by trembling hands.
Noah stepped forward silently, his gaze watching the shifting patterns with curiosity and calculation. He watched them shift again. Once, twice. Then he frowned.
They were… changing.
Next to him, Sigrid's brow furrowed deeply, the sharpness in her irises deepening. "They're not being subtle anymore," she said, voice burning with quiet disdain. "They're converging paths and trying to push everyone together to ensure I don't have that much time here..."
Noah nodded, coldness blooming behind his eyes. "Let them. It won't change too much."
The words came as a whisper, but they felt heavy enough to ground even the most stubborn of forces.
And then, the light around them broke.
