The second the gates vanished, the world between them twisted.
The terrain shimmered like heat rising from metal, then solidified—dark skies, jagged ruins, half-sunk towers leaning like broken fingers toward the void. Fog rolled low, stained copper by synthetic dusk. This wasn't a simulation that eased you in. It threw you straight into the war.
Lucian's foot hit the gravel first. One step, two, three—silent, casual. Evelyn shot forward, drawing runes in the air like she was painting spells. Her glyphs weren't fancy—they were raw. Force-based. The kind that ripped through terrain if aimed wrong. Reia disappeared to his left, fast, near soundless. Her boots didn't even kick up dust. Silas and Vyn moved next—Silas going wide with a low stance, knives drawn, and Vyn slower, behind cover, eyes calm.
Across the field, Aegis Squad moved like pieces on a board.
