The moment Alex and Lina stepped out of the portal—
The world felt wrong.
The sanctuary ruled by Hephaetaestus was collapsing.
Not violently.
Not suddenly.
It was dying.
The sky above was dim and fractured, as if cracks had spread through reality itself. Mountains in the distance crumbled slowly into glowing ash.
Rivers of molten lava which were used to forge weapons had thinned into weak, sluggish streams, their glow fading with every passing second.
The very air felt exhausted.
Structures flickered—half-real, half-erased—dissolving piece by piece like memories being forgotten.
Before Alex could open his mouth—
Lina spoke.
Her voice trembled.
"This sanctuary exists because of Lord Hephaetaestus," she said quietly. "Every inch of it was created by him."
Alex turned toward her.
"As his divinity fades," Lina continued, "so does everything tied to him."
She clenched her fists.
"There are only a handful of believers left. His authority is collapsing."
