As multiple figures stepped out from the portal, Anorah's eyes flickered. She began to analyze.
'Five of them. All resistance members.'
She saw their forms even before the bright light dimmed. No impostors. All genuine.
When the radiance finally faded and the chamber's eyes settled on them, Anorah suddenly raised her hands and began clapping. There was a brief pause before others joined, until the hall erupted in a wave of cheers.
She stepped forward.
"Welcome back, High Synod Mathias," she said, her voice carrying across the room. "You've achieved something truly great."
Mathias bowed deeply, his demeanor humble. "It was nothing, Saint. I only performed my duty."
"That you did," Anorah replied with a faint smile, though her piercing eyes expressed just how bullshit this situation was.
"And you performed it splendidly."
He bowed once more, but Anorah's gaze was already shifting toward the newly rescued.
