The Hollow pushed back hard.
No warning. No buildup. One second the extraction was running clean, the next a wall of force came through every ley line simultaneously and hit twenty-six sources like a physical blow.
Seven people went down.
Pol hit the chamber floor. Doran staggered into the junction marker beside him. One of the Liang carriers collapsed completely, unconscious before she landed.
Xin absorbed the impact through the anchor point and his channels screamed. Not metaphor — actual burning, the sensation of pathways taking damage under load they were not built for yet.
"Hold positions," Chen Wei snapped.
"Three people are down," Bai said.
"Twenty-three are not. Hold."
The Hollow's counterpressure was different from the initial absorption attempt. This was directed. Specifi
