The moment my five called allies crossed into Ashbluff Palace, the room changed. The panic edge dulled; the noise in the command center settled into purposeful motion. We didn't get louder—we got clearer. Cecilia, Rachel, Seraphina, Rose, and Reika didn't bring speeches or ceremony. They brought the steadiness that comes from having walked into the impossible and walked back out together.
Each of them stood at high Immortal-rank with the scars to match. Together, they could stall a legendary-tier threat, break a small army, or at least keep one from breaking anyone else. I felt the relief of their presence—and, underneath it, the truth I couldn't shake: whatever waited in the crater to the west might be beyond anything we'd seen.
