The black ship cut through the water like a wound that wouldn't close.
Elias stood at the bridge rail, watching the sea change color beneath them. It had begun as a deep blue, then shifted to gray, and now it was something else entirely—a thick, viscous black that reflected no light. The green glow on the horizon had grown into a wall of sickly luminescence, and the air itself seemed to hum with a frequency that made his fillings ache.
"We're close," the captain said. She was at the helm, her hands moving over controls that seemed to respond to her touch alone. The masked crew members worked in silence, their faces hidden, their movements synchronized.
"How close?" Elias asked.
"The gate is directly ahead. But it's not visible yet. It only manifests when the conditions are right." She
