Isiah couldn't believe what he was seeing. The surveillance footage playing across the screen had shaken him to his very core, and he was struggling to process the devastating reality unfolding before his eyes.
"When was this taken?" he asked, his voice barely above a harsh whisper.
The old man hesitated for a moment, swallowing hard before answering in a solemn, heavy tone. "By now, I am sure you already know that something went catastrophically wrong with your leveling transfer."
Isiah nodded slowly, his jaw set tight. He had suspected as much after enduring the agonizing spatial tear, but hearing it explicitly confirmed was still a crushing blow.
"The kid's body has grown up so fast, and so did the girl's," the old man continued, gesturing vaguely toward the screen. "The physical aging they experienced during the distorted transit was equivalent to five full years compared to standard time back in Emperium."
