Aiden's foot touched the golden thread—
—𝘈𝘕𝘋 𝘛𝘏𝘌 𝘜𝘕𝘐𝘝𝘌𝘙𝘚𝘌 𝘏𝘌𝘈𝘝𝘌𝘋.
A deafening CRACK split through reality as the golden path pulsed, warping, twisting, reshaping itself. The mark on Aiden's palm burned, its silver and black glow expanding outward like veins of corruption through the golden light.
Then, all at once—
Everything collapsed inward.
Aiden gasped as the world snapped back into focus.
He was no longer standing in the void.
Instead—
He was falling.
—𝘉𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘖𝘔—!
Aiden crashed into the ground, his body slamming into the earth with enough force to carve a crater into the battlefield below. Dust and debris exploded outward, and the entire battlefield went silent.
Then—
"AIDEN!"
Myne's voice cut through the chaos. She appeared in an instant, her shadowmancy shifting the light around her as she landed beside him. "Damn it, what happened?! One second, you vanished—" She froze, eyes locking onto his hand.