The crimson fragment pulsed against Reed's skin as he materialized within Goblin's Hollow, his consciousness shifting from the frozen wastes back to his domain. The transition left him disoriented, the world spinning in nauseating swirls before solidifying around him. He hadn't expected to be able to return so quickly—not with Valerian gone and the fragments scattered—but the void energy still coursing through his veins had responded to his desperate need for sanctuary.
Reed steadied himself against the trunk of a twisted oak, his breath forming clouds in the cool morning air. Goblin's Hollow sprawled before him, unrecognizable from the primitive settlement he had left behind. In his absence, the domain had continued to evolve, guided by the directives he had established before departing for Crimson Peak.