AROUND THE SAME TIME
ISABELLA'S POINT OF VIEW:
I reached forward slowly, fingertips brushing the crystalline object embedded in the heart of the gnarled roots. The third part of the relic shimmered faintly, as if it was breathing. Whispering. Vanessa stood beside me, tense, arms crossed. Michael's shadow loomed protectively nearby. Xavier still looked pale, but he managed a small nod of encouragement. Evelyn was silent, her eyes focused on the artifact like it might bite.
"Okay." I murmured. "This is it. We-"
"System Sync: 3rd Fragment acquired. Event triggered: Phase Shift – Home recall protocol."System said.
"What?" Rosalie blinked. "Phase shift?"
"All players will be returned to original starting nodes. Countdown to destabilization: 10 seconds."System said.
"No, no—hell no!" Michael growled. "You can't just scatter us—"
"9… 8… 7…"System started countdown.