It was a somber mood as the two of us stepped back into Talia and Midori's house. We were both still in shock over the explosion at the portal terminal, and the fact that we still hadn't found Midori and Izumi added to our growing anxiety.

I slumped down into the couch, my mind racing with a thousand different thoughts. The incident had left everything in disarray. With the portal terminal destroyed, our chances of finding Izumi had been severely hampered.

Sure, there were portals in other cities we could access, but it would take us days, if not weeks, to get to them. With the destruction of the Shoreline City portal, New York City was cut off from the rest of the world.

Just then, I heard the sound of thunder rolling in from outside. I looked up in surprise to see dark clouds gathering in the sky and light rain starting to fall. The winds began to pick up outside, and a few raindrops splattered against the window panes.

Wordlessly, Talia stood up and walked towards the window. We watched in silence as the storm continued to grow, thunder clapping louder and louder with each passing second. Lightning struck across the sky, vivid purple streaks illuminating the horizon.

Talia let out a frustrated scream as she slammed her tiny, open hand against the window pane, watching helplessly as the rain pelted down harder and harder.

"Why?!" She screamed in frustration, "Why is this happening to us?!"

I went over to Talia, hugging my arms around her shivering body. I could feel her trembling from anger and fear, but I didn't let go. Instead, I held her tight, letting her cry into my chest for all of our recent losses. The storm raged on outside, the wind howling like a mournful cry. We didn't move from our spot; we were just standing together, lost in our thoughts. The rain continued to fall harder and harder, the sound of a dull roar that permeated the quiet house.

As the storm raged on, Talia and I remained locked in that spot as she sobbed relentlessly.

The rain drummed against the windows, and the thunder shook the house, but still, we clung to each other, seeking solace in the comfort of each other's arms.

Minutes turned into an hour as we stood together, the storm showing no signs of abating. But eventually, Talia's sobs began to fade, and her body stopped shaking. She pulled away from me, looking up with tear-streaked cheeks.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, her voice hoarse.

"You don't have to apologize," I said, shaking my head. "You're allowed to feel however you want to feel."

Talia nodded, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand. "I just feel so helpless," she said, her voice quiet. "I'm so worried about them."

"I know," I said, taking her hand. "But we'll find Midori and Izumi. We just have to keep looking."

"Do you really believe that?" Talia asked, looking up at me with a glimmer of hope in her eyes.

"We have to," I said, looking into her eyes. "I won't stop until we find them, that's for certain."

Talia gave me a small smile, her eyes still sad but with a glimmer of hope. "Thank you," she said, squeezing my hand.

We sat silently for a few moments, listening to the storm outside. The rain had started to ease up, but the wind was still raging, making the trees outside bend and sway unnaturally.

"We should probably call Dior, Morada, and Ranjika. Maybe they found a lead on Midori and Izumi," Talia suggested, her voice hopeful.

I nodded in agreement, pulling out my phone to call Morada. The call went straight to voicemail, and I was forced to leave a message. After that, we tried calling Dior and Ranjika with the same results. We were left with nothing but unanswered calls and the distant howling of the wind outside.

I couldn't help but feel a sense of unease. It was probably paranoia, but still, the storm outside felt like a bad omen. Like it was a sign that things were only going to get worse. I couldn't help but think that something was wrong. What if they had run into trouble while searching for Midori?

"They're not picking up," I said quietly, feeling a pit growing in my stomach. They were on the other side of the world, and we had no way of knowing if they were okay.

Talia's expression mirrored my own growing anxiety. "What if they're in trouble?" she asked, the worry evident in her voice.

I shook my head, trying to push the thought aside. "We don't know that for sure. Let's just wait and see if they call us back. It isn't easy to communicate when you're zooming around like that."

Time passed slowly as we waited for any news. Our unease only grew as the minutes ticked by with no word from our friends. But minutes passed, and word never came, leaving us to our own devices.

I flipped the television on, and the portal terminal's collapse was all over the news. The reporters were speculating about what could have caused the explosion, and the government urged citizens to remain calm and stay indoors until further notice. Not only that but dozens of portals had collapsed in a similar fashion across the world, leaving entire cities in chaos.

The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.

Something was happening, something big and dangerous. We were caught in the middle of it all, and I had no idea what was actually going on. Clearly, something had gone terribly wrong, and it was only a matter of time before we found out what.

Talia and I sat on the couch, glued to the screen as the news continued to unfold.

Suddenly, an alarm went off from my phone, interrupting the news report. We both jumped, startled by the sudden noise. I quickly grabbed my phone and saw that it was a public alert.

"Attention all citizens. This is a message from the United Coalition of Terran Nations. We are currently in a state of emergency. All portal terminals have been temporarily shut down until further notice. Do NOT attempt to use any portal to cross between Earth and Terra."

Talia and I exchanged a worried look as the message repeated itself. What did all this mean? Why were the portals shut down? Was it related to the collapse of the Shoreline City portal terminal?

I scrambled to the laptop, pulling up every site I could find — from Mahou News Net to local forums. The headlines were alarming, with reports of riots and chaos breaking out in cities worldwide. Portals had collapsed or were being shut down, leaving people stranded and cut off from loved ones. The situation was spiraling out of control, and no one seemed to know what was happening. The internet was filled with speculation and rumors but nothing concrete about what was happening.

"Maybe we should try contacting the others again," I suggested, my voice shaky.

She nodded, my heart racing with fear and worry. "Yeah, we need to know if they're safe. Go ahead, Ikki."

I redialed Morada's number, praying that she would pick up this time. The phone rang and rang, but there was no answer. I also tried Dior's and Ranjika's numbers, but still, there was no response.

Just as I was about to give up, my phone buzzed with a message from Natasha.

"Ikki, did you manage to get back on this side of the portal?"

I frowned at the message before responding,

"Yeah. Talia, Spencer, and I crossed back over to Terra minutes before it collapsed. What's up?"

A chat bubble floated on the screen for a minute, indicating Natasha was typing out a longer answer. Then, her message arrived, and the response made my blood run cold.

"Thank goodness... I just wanted to check in on you and make sure you're safe. The situation is getting worse by the minute. There are rumors that the portal collapses are a result of an attack from a rogue faction of Earth's military. They're claiming that Terra is a threat to their world and they're taking matters into their own hands. There are rumors going the other way as well, flipping the culprits. Please... try to stay indoors. Get some rest. I'm sorry about Izumi."

I read Natasha's message out loud to Talia, and we both stared at each other in disbelief. This couldn't be happening. How could something like this escalate so quickly?

I fought to catch my breath, putting my phone on the couch. I was hyperventilating, the fear and panic washing over me in waves. Talia put a comforting hand on my shoulder.

"Ikki... let's. Let's just rest for tonight, okay? We can't do anything now. We need to stay calm and figure out what our next steps are."

I nodded slowly, taking deep breaths to calm myself down. Talia was right. We needed to stay calm and think rationally. There was no use panicking and making rash decisions.

"Okay," I said finally, looking back to Talia. "You're right. We can't do anything now. Let's... let's just take it easy and try to figure things out in the morning. Get this out of our system."

It was late afternoon and still light out, but lightning flashed across the sky, illuminating the room in an eerie glow. We sat in silence, feeling the tension in the air. Outside, the wind was still blowing fiercely, and the rain was pounding against the windows. It was like the storm reflected the chaos and confusion that had taken over the world.

I leaned back against the couch, feeling exhausted. The events of the past few days had taken a toll on me. I couldn't help but think about Midori and Izumi and what had happened to them. They were family to us, and the thought of them being in danger was unbearable.

I looked over to see that Talia had fallen asleep on the couch next to me, her head resting on my shoulder, while I sat there, staring out into the darkness, lost in thought. I briefly wondered where Kuromaru was but quickly dismissed the thought as unimportant.

As I sat there, my mind wandered, and I thought about all the what-ifs and worst-case scenarios. What if the governments of Earth and Terra went to war? What if we never found Midori and Izumi? What if we were stuck on Terra with no way to get back to Earth?

I shook my head, trying to push the negative thoughts aside. We couldn't afford to think like that. We needed to stay positive and have hope that things would get better. But at that moment, it felt like hope was in short supply.

I glanced down at my phone, the screen still illuminated with Natasha's message. I typed out a response, telling her we were safe and asking her to keep us updated on any news. I hit send, then put my phone down, feeling a weight lift off my shoulders. At least we weren't alone in this.

Closing my eyes, I took a deep breath and tried to clear my mind. I needed to rest to regain my strength and composure. I knew the days ahead would be challenging, but I had to be strong for Talia and the others.

As I drifted off to sleep on the couch, the sound of the rain tapping against the window became a lullaby. I found myself dreaming of a world where my family was safe. A world where the threat of violence from the worst of humanity and monsters alike didn't exist. But even in my dreams, I knew this was wishful thinking. The reality of the situation was much more complicated and dangerous.

In my dreams, I saw Midori and Izumi, their faces twisted in pain as they were surrounded by surreal monsters and menacing, cackling women. I tried to reach out to them, but they were slipping away from me, disappearing into the smoke and flames.

I jerked awake, panting and sweating. It took me a moment to realize that it had only been a nightmare, but the fear and anxiety lingered on.

Talia was still asleep on the couch beside me, and I didn't want to wake her. Instead, I got up and walked over to the window, looking out into the night. The storm had passed, and a light drizzle was falling, combined with the occasional gust of wind that rattled the windows. I opened the window slightly, sucking in some fresh air to clear my head.

It seemed like the world around us was calming down too. It was still early in the night, but I felt an inner peace come over me as I watched the tiny droplets of rain glide across the glass windowpane before disappearing into nothingness.

I knew that tomorrow would bring new challenges, but for now, at least, things were okay. We had each other, and we had hope; no matter what happened next, we could face it together. Taking one last deep breath of fresh air, I draped a blanket over Talia and closed the window. I watched her sleep peacefully briefly before heading upstairs to my bed.

My eyes felt heavy as I fell face-first onto my bed, and for the first time in a few days, I gave in to exhaustion and fatigue, drifting off to a sound, dreamless sleep.