The Ice Portal opened without resistance.
That alone was enough to make everyone uneas and uncomfortable .
"It's letting us through." Mei kept her eyes fixed on the sensor display. "No resistance. No energy drain. Nothing."
Shen folded his arms. "It doesn't have to stop us here. It wants us inside the Forge."
The Salty Nut slipped through the portal. Warm golden light flooded the cabin. Beyond the windows, enormous cradles drifted through the mist, carrying half-formed continents and unfinished oceans suspended in silence.
The sight should have been beautiful.
Instead, it felt wrong.
Elara studied her screen. "The energy currents are gone. Last time, resonance streams were moving between every cradle. Now there's nothing."
"The Arbiter redirected everything," Shen replied. His blac
