•Firera's Dimension•
[Firera's POV]
The scrying window hovered in the air before us—a shimmering pane of light that showed the palace forest in vivid detail. Gale, small and fierce, his hand raised. Ann, suspended in the grip of his wind, her face paling as she fought for breath.
"It's true that our seal is weakening," Sylvana said, her voice calm but heavy. She stood beside me, her heterochromia eyes—one green, one red—fixed on the image. "But Proteus is still not awake."
"He consumed many magical species when he became a Thaumamorph." Astra hovered near my shoulder, her tiny form rigid with tension. For once, she was not crying. The serious side of her personality had taken hold. "His dark magic is probably lurking on its own now. Removing threats before they can become obstacles."
I remembered what I had seen in Ovelia's vision. A dark, man-shaped shadow, formless and vast, pressing against the edges of consciousness. Proteus.
