Ethan stood at the edge of the rift, weighing the risks in silence.
Then he raised a hand, signaling the others to hold position.
"I'll go in first."
"Maintain perimeter security. If anything goes wrong, seal the rift immediately."
Before the words had fully left his mouth, he extended his hand toward the swirling edge of the vortex.
The moment his fingers touched it—
A violent suction force exploded outward.
He barely had time to react before his entire body was yanked inside.
BOOM—
HUMMMM—
Space twisted violently around him, warping his vision into a blur of color and distortion.
When everything finally stabilized, Ethan found himself standing on unfamiliar ground.
The air was thick with a strange, dark red hue.
Not mist—this was a highly concentrated energy field.
A low-frequency hum pulsed through the world, like the land itself was breathing in slow, heavy rhythms.
And within the crimson currents—
Countless strange insects floated through the air.
