Elira's breath misted in the cold air of the Vault as the tattered borders of the rift disintegrated behind her. She and Kael were silent, the eerie whine of the place still humming in her bones. The whispers were gone, but their presence lingered like frostbite in her soul. When she glanced at Kael, the glow of the void still shone softly in his eyes.
"They're watching us," Kael snarled, his voice little more than a whisper. "Even now. The council. The things beyond. All of them."
Elira swallowed. The Vault had shown her more than echoes—it had shown her truth. About the prophecy, about Kael, about herself. And now everything was different.
They emerged from the Vault to be met by Professor Rathen, who stood with his arms crossed, his face inscrutable. Three other instructors stood behind him, one of whom Elira knew as Council Agent Meryn—a gaunt woman with black eyes that cut through flesh and bone like obsidian.
