They all blinked and their world had changed.
One moment, they'd been standing together in Master Oz's pocket domain, the storm clouds gathering overhead. The next, they was somewhere else entirely.
Separated from each other.
Ryka stood in a vast open field beneath a blood-red sky.
The ground was scorched earth, cracked and dry. The air shimmered with heat, and in the distance, she could see mountains wreathed in flame.
Rhegalyion materialized beside her without her calling, the wyvern's presence instinctive.
But something was wrong.
The bond felt... strained. Like a rope pulled too tight.
And then she saw it.
Standing across the field, maybe a hundred meters away, was another figure.
A girl with long auburn hair tied in a braid. Wearing practical training clothes. Her eyes were sharp and focused, but there was something strange about them. The white of those sharp eyes were lost. Replaced by blackened ink.
The view drew close. And it was clear, Ryka stared at herself.
