The exit portal loomed before them — a shimmering oval of blue-white energy suspended within a reinforced archway. Garrison soldiers had established a perimeter a full kilometer away, their equipment visible even from this distance. None dared approach closer.
Nova walked toward it unhurriedly, Kaelith still on his back, his golden eyes taking in the final stretches of the transformed landscape.
When they were approximately three hundred meters from the portal, Kaelith stirred.
"Mmm..." A soft sound of consciousness returning. Her fingers twitched against his shoulders.
"Welcome back," Nova said calmly, not breaking stride. "Try not to move too suddenly. Your body took significant damage."
Kaelith's ice-blue eyes opened slowly, confusion evident in their depths. Her last clear memory was of her Ice God Domain being consumed, of overwhelming defeat, of choosing unconsciousness over accepting the impossible...
