The return to chaos

(Chapter 68:Mira's Pov)

The portal closed behind us with a soft crackle, the last whisper of magic fading into the night air. We were back. But something was wrong.

The familiar silhouette of Caelyn's house, the place that had been our sanctuary, loomed before us, but it was not the same as we remembered. The air was thick with the scent of destruction, the gates left ajar, a sign that something—or someone—had breached our home.

Caelyn was the first to move, his muscles tensing as he stepped forward, nostrils flaring. His eyes flicked to the others—Lorenzo, Selene, and the rest of our group—silent signals exchanged in the space between breaths. Something was wrong, and we all knew it.