Location: Dark Forest Glade → Pavilion Nexus Medical Bay
Time: Day 583/213 (Subjective/Actual) - Continuous
Realm: Lower Realm (Doha)
Space rippled at the edge of the glade.
Isha materialized first—translucent kitsune form blazing with panic, nine tails lashing in agitation. The emergency extraction had failed. The talisman that should have pulled Jayde to safety had activated but couldn't complete the dimensional transfer.
Something was blocking it.
Which meant she was still here. Still in the glade. Still—
The ward stones pulsed around the perimeter, still active, still maintaining their protective barrier.
[Down!] Isha commanded, and the formations collapsed instantly. The shimmering barrier dissolved, divine-grade protections deactivating at the Divine Tome's authority.
From the undergrowth beyond where the barrier had been, a small kitten form burst forward.
