A wound in reality itself, miles wide.
Behind him, the Solmaran delegation went silent.
The observation camp mages had seen it countless times. Leon had seen it before. But the Solmarans - experienced with gates, veterans of years of defensive warfare - they were seeing something that rewrote everything they knew about the threat.
The silence stretched. No one spoke. No one moved.
Leon understood. Even seeing it the second time, the Horizon Gate knocked all other thoughts from his mind. The sheer impossible scale of it demanded complete attention, complete processing, before the brain could move on to anything else.
Mage Kaelis recovered first.
"Readings," she said, her voice sharp with command. "I want magical saturation levels, growth rate analysis, stability measurements -"
"Mage," one of the camp mages interrupted, stepping forward. "With respect, that's inadvisable right now."
Kaelis turned to him, clearly not accustomed to being contradicted.
"The darkness is settling," the mage continued, gesturing at the dimming sky. "The gate causes disturbances in the swamp - magical fluctuations, unstable terrain, things we don't fully understand. We've learned not to venture close at night. It's not safe."
"Disturbances?" Therin asked, professional curiosity overriding shock.
"Strange lights. Sounds. The water itself behaves oddly - flowing unusually , forming impossible patterns." The mage shook his head. "We do all testing during daylight, and never alone. Those are the standing orders."
Kaelis looked at Leon, who nodded confirmation.
"The gate's magical saturation affects the surrounding environment in unpredictable ways," Leon said. "Until we understand the patterns better, caution is mandatory."
It was true. It was also convenient - gave them an excuse to delay until morning, let the Solmarans process what they'd seen without the pressure of immediate investigation.
Kaelis studied the distant gate a moment longer, then nodded sharply. "Very well. We'll conduct proper surveys at first light. For now -" She turned to her delegation. "-rest. Process what you've seen. Tomorrow we verify."
The camp commander - a veteran soldier Leon recognized from his previous visit - stepped forward. "We've prepared quarters for the delegation. Food, clean water. It's not luxurious, but it's comfortable."
"That will be adequate," Kaelis said.
As the group began moving toward the camp, Leon caught Therin staring at the gate, notebook forgotten in his hands.
"Magister?" Leon said quietly.
Therin blinked, looked at Leon with an expression somewhere between awe and horror.
"High Archmage," he said, voice barely above a whisper. "When you said it spanned the horizon... I thought you were being metaphorical. Or that the reports were exaggerated. But that..." He gestured at the distant tear. "That's not a gate. That's -."
"That's why we called for help," Leon said simply.
Therin nodded slowly, still staring at the impossible sight. Then he tucked away his notebook and followed the others.
Leon remained a moment longer, looking at the gate he'd have to defend. The swampland before it - terrible terrain, nightmarish for supply lines.
Four weeks of painful travel, endless questions.
And now he was here. Again. Staring at a problem that seemed impossible to solve.
One step at a time, Leon thought. Tomorrow, they verify. Then they commit. Then we figure out how to defend the indefensible.
He turned and followed the others toward the camp.
Leon fell asleep faster than he'd thought possible.
The journey had drained him more than he'd realized. Twenty-nine days of maintaining the archmage persona without break, of answering questions, of projecting confidence he didn't feel.
The moment his head hit the camp bed, exhaustion pulled him under.
He woke to activity.
The camp was buzzing with motion - Solmaran mages setting up equipment at the forest edge, the kingdom's mages providing guidance, soldiers maintaining perimeter security. Dawn light filtered through the tent canvas, suggesting he'd slept through the entire night without waking once.
Leon dressed quickly and emerged to organized chaos.
Therin was already at work, directing two other mages in setting up what looked like measurement arrays. Kaelis stood with the camp commander, reviewing maps and pointing toward the gate. Other mages were scattered along the tree line, each conducting different tests.
"High Archmage," Aldric appeared at Leon's elbow, offering a cup of something hot. "The Solmarans started at first light. Mage Kaelis wants comprehensive data before making her final assessment."
Leon took the cup - tea, blessedly strong - and sipped it while watching the activity. "Any issues?"
"None. They're being methodical. Professional." Aldric paused. "They're also terrified. I can see it in how carefully they're working. They don't want to believe what they're seeing is real."
"It's real," Leon said quietly.
"I know. They're figuring that out."
The testing continued through the morning. Leon made himself available for questions - explaining the observation protocols his teams had developed, sharing data from a month of monitoring, discussing the patterns they'd identified in the gate's growth rate.
By afternoon, Kaelis had compiled enough data to satisfy herself. Leon called for a meeting in the camp's command tent as the sun began its descent toward evening.
The tent was crowded. Kaelis and her five mages, Leon and Aldric, the camp commander, several senior Aldorian mages. Gathered around a table covered in maps and measurement charts.
"We've completed our assessment," Kaelis began without preamble. She looked tired - the kind of exhaustion that came from processing terrible truths. "Your reports were accurate, High Archmage. Conservative, even."
She pulled out a chart.
"The gate's current width is approximately seventeen miles. Growth rate suggests it will reach twenty miles before opening. Magical saturation levels are..." She paused, choosing words carefully. "...unprecedented. Beyond anything in Imperial records. The energy density alone is staggering."
Therin spoke up, voice subdued. "We calculated potential creature density based on our gate experiences. If we apply standard ratios to a gate this large..." He trailed off.
"Millions," Kaelis finished. "Potentially tens of millions in the initial surge, depending on the world beyond. Even accounting for your formations' efficiency gains, High Archmage, the numbers are overwhelming."
Silence in the tent. Everyone had known this, but hearing it stated so baldly was different.
"Mage Kaelis," Leon said carefully. "Your decision?"
Kaelis met his eyes. For the first time since arriving in Aldoria, she looked genuinely shaken.
"High Archmage Leon," she said formally. "On behalf of the Solmaran Empire, I will recommend immediate full military deployment. Everything we can spare. " She paused. "This isn't a favor to an ally. This is survival. If this gate opens and Aldoria fails to contain it, the creatures won't stop at the borders. They'll spread. Eventually, they'll reach Imperial shores."
She looked around the tent, meeting each person's eyes.
"This is an existential threat to every kingdom, every nation, every person on this continent and beyond. The Empire will send everything we can. I'll make the Emperor understand that."
Something unclenched in Leon's chest. A sliver of hope - small, fragile, but real.
"Thank you, Mage Kaelis," he said quietly.
"We still have to convince the other kingdoms. We have to coordinate forces from the other nations. In order to defend twenty miles of front against unknowable numbers," She looked at the maps, "they are needed "
"We have four months," Leon said. "Four months to coordinate defenses, prepare for this crisis ." He looked at Kaelis. "Can the Empire mobilize in that time?"
"I'll send fast ships tomorrow with my full report." Kaelis said. "The emperor will act quickly once he hears the full scope."
"What of the other kingdoms?" Therin asked. "The Free Cities? Ishmar? The Eastern Coalition?"
"No responses yet," Leon said. "But they'll come."
Kaelis rolled up the maps decisively.
"We will leave at first light. The Emperor needs this information." She looked at Leon. "High Archmage, I assume you'll return to the capital as well? "
Leon nodded. "The observation teams have standing orders."
"Then we'll ride together," Kaelis said. "And on the way, we will undoubtedly have more questions about your formations. We'll need to train Imperial mages as quickly as possible."
Leon tried not to groan.
More weeks of questions. More weeks of maintaining perfect confidence. More weeks of that damned saddle.
But it was worth it. Because Solmara was committing.
One kingdom down. Several more to go.
And maybe, just maybe, they could pull this off.
Leon looked at the maps one last time before they were packed away. The Blackwater Swamp. The Horizon Gate. The impossible defensive problem that would require insane levels of innovation, alliance, every desperate measure he could devise.
One step at a time, he reminded himself. We got Solmara. We'll get the others. We'll build the defenses. We'll find a way.
He had to believe that.