Return from the Rift

Location: Outer Edge of Xir'al-Rah — Desert Wastes

The silence that followed the Mirror Realm's collapse was overwhelming.

They emerged into blinding daylight, coughing, bruised, and covered in mirror dust that clung to them like ash from another world. Victor was the last to rise. When he did, the air shimmered around him—not with heat, but with something far older.

Power.

Zuri tilted her head. "You're… glowing. That's not just adrenaline, is it?"

"No," Victor said softly. "It's balance. I didn't destroy the relic. I absorbed it."

Nora stepped closer, narrowing her eyes. "Are you alright?"

He nodded. "For now. But we've shifted something. I can feel it in the air. Tavara won't be the same."

---

Location: Tavara – Capital Airspace

By the time they reached the outskirts of Tavara's capital, a storm had begun to gather—literal and metaphorical.

News channels buzzed with reports of seismic anomalies in the east, military satellites detecting strange energy bursts, and encrypted chatter about "Project Exodus" going live.

Victor glanced at the transmission feed in the jet.

"Dominion factions are moving," Zuri said. "The Echo Caverns weren't just hidden—they were guarded. You've broken a seal."

Nora's fingers tapped against her lap in a nervous rhythm. "Then we need to know what's coming. Because I have a feeling they were waiting for someone to open that gate."

Victor stared out the window as Tavara's skyline emerged beneath them, cloaked in clouds.

"We're not just fighting for legacy anymore," he murmured. "We're fighting for reality."

---

Location: Central Dominion HQ — Classified Coordinates

In a chamber deep beneath the earth, a meeting was already underway.

A dozen figures in obsidian robes sat in a circle, each with a glowing crystal embedded in their foreheads.

"The Mirror Realm has fallen," one of them intoned. "The vessel has awakened."

"Too early," another hissed. "We needed time to reforge the Gatekeeper. The Architect won't be pleased."

"But the timeline accelerates now," a third said calmly. "Prepare the Triad Protocol. It's time for the Harbingers to rise."

At the center of the room, a coffin-shaped chamber began to glow. Inside, something stirred.

---

Location: Tavara – The Wambua Estate

Victor returned to the place where it all started—his childhood home, now restored.

His father, J. Wambua, stood on the steps waiting, arms crossed.

"Back from the edge of the world again?" he said, voice filled with pride but also fear.

Victor embraced him. "Not just back. Ready."

His father studied him carefully. "The world's watching you now. You're not just a Kane anymore. You've become something else entirely."

"I'm still your son," Victor said. "But I'm also Tavara's shield now."