{{{…As expected of the Chosen Avatar… I will come
....i will come back…and take revenge for the dreaming....for the monsters you released upon us....}}}
Lara's spine snapped rigid. Atlas froze, blade still raised. Even Henry, watching from the balcony, narrowed his eyes to slits. And then, as if the world itself recoiled, the presence vanished. Clouds that had split apart stitched themselves back together; the sky mended its fracture. The weight pressing down on the battlefield lifted.
Whatever had spoken—whatever had watched—was gone. For now.
Lara's heart still thundered. The air tasted of ozone and blood, sharp and acrid. Around them, broken banners sagged, and distant cries echoed from wounded souls. She felt Aurora's pulse beneath her fingers: slow, uneven. The older woman's chest rose and fell in ragged breaths.
