"Phew."
The exhale was heavy, rattling in the chest of the representative from the Eagle Empire. He slumped slightly, wiping a sheen of cold sweat from his forehead. Even for a mage of his caliber, the ritual had been a draining ordeal.
Above them, the sky looked like a shattered mirror slowly piecing itself back together. Shards of reality clicked into place, sealing the rift they had torn open. As the barrier dissolved, the atmosphere shifted. The air didn't just smell different; it felt heavier, denser. Spirit energy flooded the world of Galaxy Fall, tripling in concentration within seconds. To the weak, it was suffocating; to the strong, it was intoxicating.
Lord Cisco, the representative of the Sword Empire, straightened his back. Unlike his counterpart from the Eagle Empire, he barely showed signs of fatigue. He smoothed his robes, his eyes gleaming with a mixture of pride and disdain as he surveyed the sea of expectant faces.
