Dawn broke over the military encampment with an oppressive stillness.

Finn stood with the assembled team at the breach perimeter, watching the impossibly smooth tear in reality shimmer in the early light. Around them, soldiers and Agents maintained a respectful distance with a mixture of fear and hope on their faces.

The nine Transcendents arranged themselves in a loose formation. Himothy took point at the spearhead, with his bronze skin seeming to glow like energy was contained underneath. Flanking him were Yara on the left, her stocky frame radiating her concept of Resilience, and Tavian, the bearer of Passage, on the right.

Behind them, Thalia stood at the center of the second line with Finn to her left and Deacon to her right. The back line consisted of Keeva, Ailin, and Osric — the support specialists who would fade into shadows when needed.

They didn't talk much. There wasn't much to say that hadn't been covered in last night's tactical briefing. The plan was simple: infiltrate, observe, gather intelligence and avoid engagement. If compromised for any reason, a prompt exit was the next step of action.

Himothy rolled his shoulders in anticipation as lightning crackled along his arms. "Finally! I've been waiting—"

The breach suddenly pulsed.

Everyone froze.

The energy fluctuations coming off the tear shifted abruptly, becoming erratic and violent. The smooth surface rippled like disturbed water, and colors that hadn't been there moments before began to bleed through.

"Something's coming through," Yara warned from the back.

But she didn't need to.

The team had immediately shifted into combat readiness without being told.

Himothy lowered into a fighting pose and grinned. Immediately, storm clouds began to gather overhead despite the clear morning sky. An incorporeal pressure descended as the air became charged not just with electricity, but with the plethora of concepts roiling over each other, primed for manifestation — Order, Glory, Truth, Resilience, Error…

Finn's eyes glowed green as he activated his Error Vision fully.

Through that lens, he watched the breach's structure twist and reform. Patterns emerged, then collapsed. Reality itself seemed uncertain about what it was supposed to be doing.

Then all of a sudden. It stilled.

The fluctuations settled. The colors faded. The breach returned to its original state.

"False alarm?" Tavian hesitantly said, but his posture remained vigilant in case anything happened.

"Or maybe it's a warning?" Ailin muttered in confusion after nothing happened for a few more seconds.

"Let's proceed," Thalia said firmly. "Maintain the formation and stay alert."

They began moving toward the breach.

Himothy strode forward with confidence bordering on recklessness, but anyone who had a keen eye would see that it wasn't without reason. Each step was calculated and he was ever ready. Thalia matched his pace, and even Finn, positioned not far behind, kept rhythm with the group's advance.

Finn's Error Vision remained active, and as they closed the distance, a familiar sensation crept over him.

He'd felt this before.

His frown deepened. The way the mana flowed through the breach, the pattern of the distortion, the subtle wrongness in how space bent around the tear…

"STOP!"

The command came out sharper than Finn intended, but everyone obeyed instantly. Even Himothy halted mid-stride, though irritation flickered across his face.

"What is it?" Thalia asked, locking her eyes on Finn in expectation.

Finn stared at the breach, watching the flow of energy with his enhanced sight. The pattern was there, clear as day once you knew what to look for. This pattern gave him the same feeling as when he had approached the World Tear in his future timeline. The same reality-distortion that had separated teams, scattered individuals across impossible distances.

He turned to face the Archon and the assembled soldiers watching from the perimeter.

"I need a rope."

Silence.

"A what?" one of the minor Transcendents asked.

"A rope. Long. Strong. Now."

It was such a random request that several people simply stared. But the Chaos bearer, standing back with the Ferox delegation, cracked a weird smile. His fingers resumed their arrhythmic drumming, faster now, as if delighted by some private joke.

Deacon's eyes blazed brighter. The Truth bearer had been scanning the breach with increased intensity, and now understanding dawned across his features. He'd seen what Finn saw — the truth of the barrier's nature — but hadn't known how to interpret it until the rope suggestion crystallized the threat.

"The rope," Deacon confirmed quietly. "Yes. We need it."

The Agents responded after a brief beat. Two soldiers sprinted toward the supply tents.

"What did you see?" Thalia asked, moving to stand beside Finn.

"The barrier will separate us," Finn said, still watching the energy patterns. "The moment we cross, it will try to split us apart to different locations within the other plane. If we're not physically connected, then we'll be scattered."

A collective wariness rippled through the group and they started at the barrier with increased vigilance.

The soldiers returned with rope. A thick, military-grade cord meant for securing transport beasts. Finn took it, testing the strength.

It will hold.

"Tie this around your wrist," Finn instructed, demonstrating. "Pass it to the next person. Keep at least two feet of slack between each person, but stay connected. The barrier needs to register us as a single entity, not nine individuals."

Himothy opened his mouth, and Finn braced for the challenge. The Glory bearer was staring at him with an expression caught between annoyance and curiosity, clearly about to question how Finn could possibly know all this just from looking.

But in the end, Himothy just shook his head and turned forward. "Whatever. Let's just get in there already."

Finn blinked. He'd expected more resistance.

They tied themselves together — Himothy at the point, then Yara and Tavian, then Thalia, Finn, and Deacon, then Keeva, Ailin, and Osric bringing up the rear. Nine Transcendents connected by a single line.

"Stay in formation," Thalia commanded. "If the rope breaks, everyone freeze and wait for Tavian to create a passage back to us."

Tavian nodded. "I can sense openings for about thirty feet. Beyond that, you're on your own."

"As long as we're tied together, we won't get separated separated," Finn said flatly.

The Transcendents turned to face the breach after that, then began to move as one.

The breach was wide enough that they didn't need to squeeze through a single-file. The triangle formation held as they approached the shimmering surface.

Three feet away.

Two feet.

One.

They crossed.

.

.

This damn sensation!! Finn gritted his teeth.

Separation.

It overwhelmed his being entirely. Not at all different from what he'd felt in the future when he crossed the World Tear. The rope went taut, burning against his wrist as the barrier fought to separate them.

But the rope held.

The barrier hesitated, confused by the physical connection. It registered them as a single entity, an oddly shaped entity, but an entity nonetheless. The pulling sensation persisted for a few horrible moments, before it was then released.

They stumbled through, and several Transcendents cursed as the disorientation hit.

"Everyone accounted for?" Thalia called, immediately scanning the group.

"Here," Yara confirmed as she bent over to shake off the disorientation.

"Present," Deacon said beside Finn.

One by one, they called out. All accounted for.

"Fuck. That's not something I wanna experience again," Tavian breathed. "Finn was right. I felt it trying to rip me away."

"Thanks for the rope," Ailin muttered, flexing her wrist where the cord had left a red mark.

Himothy just grunted, already scanning their surroundings.

Which was... definitely not what they'd expected.

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