Mist curled around Tian's boots.
He moved through the veil with a heartbeat that no longer followed the rhythm of this place. Time folded behind him. The path vanished as he stepped forward. The ground shimmered ahead, like it was remembering what it once had been.
Then he saw her.
Elara.
Standing beneath a silver tree with no leaves. Her back was turned, but she had already known.
"I felt you before I saw you," she said.
Tian slowed.
"You were never lost."
"I was," she said. "I was just too far to call out."
He reached her. Close enough to touch. But he did not take her hand.
"Why did you go?"
"I needed to see it for myself," she said. "And now I know."
He waited.
She turned, eyes steady. Not afraid. Just tired.
"The Gate is not a prison."
"I know."
"It isn't holding something back."
"I know."
"It's waiting for something to return."
Tian lowered his gaze.
"The heavens fear what might come through it."
"They're not just afraid," Elara said. "They're desperate."
