He stepped through the gate and into the amber morning.
The transition was smooth, cold pressure folding around him, then the familiar scent of ozone and living growth. The ground cover dimpled under his boots. The coloured sky shifted above, amber bleeding toward violet at the edges. The source world, unchanged and patient.
Seven figures stood between him and the ridge.
Cael read them in the space of a breath. The Hound catalogued signatures, pressure patterns, the specific frequencies of Awakened classes at combat readiness. Three A-ranks. Four B-ranks. Positioned in a loose crescent with the gate at their backs.
The woman at the centre spoke. 'You're early. We expected another day.'
She was tall, her armour the dark alloy of the Unbound's standard kit. Her energy was a striker's pr
