Crestia took a deep breath, the cavern air thick with the scent of ancient dust and the metallic tang of arcane energy. This was it—the culmination of everything she had worked toward. Everything she had sacrificed.

She ran her fingers over the engraved runes carved into the cavern floor. They pulsed faintly in response to her touch, waiting, ready.

This had to work.

She turned to face the group. Stonebloom, who funded this venture and gave her guidance and trust when she needed it most. Ros’Lyn, who was always there to keep her grounded. Fizz and Skrill, who invented the machine that was going to help prove her theories. Veyrin, her familiar that stood by her side no matter what. And Paeris… well Paeris was present and that was something.

Her people. All here to witness history being made.

"Alright," she began, her voice steady despite the anxious storm raging inside her. "First, thank you all for being here."

Paeris muttered something about not having a choice, but Bloom silenced him with a glance.

Crestia inhaled slowly. No distractions. Focus.

"Today, we expand our very understanding of existence. Today, we open a path beyond our reality."

A few unreadable expressions met her words. Doubt? Concern? Uncertainty?

"I know the risks. I know what’s at stake. But if we succeed today, we will prove that our world is not alone. That the Realms are not everything."

Silence filled the cavern.

Crestia looked over at Fizz who wiped her hands on her apron. "All systems go, boss." she said with a smile.

Skrill popped out from an open hatch, his goggles askew as he hopped out, closing the hatch behind him and walked over to stand with his sister. "More power, better flow, less... kaboom."

"Less kaboom is good." Ros’Lyn muttered.

Veyrin, perched on a crate, flicked his tail. "The runes are stable and ready, Crestia."

She exhaled. Time to begin.

Kneeling beside the first sigil she pressed her palm to the carved stone. With a single whisper of arcane words the rune flared brilliant blue.

The the floor of the cavern trembled just slightly.

She let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding and moved to the next sigil, tracing the edges with one clawed fingertip. Another murmured incantation. The rune glowed a brilliant crimson. Energy rippled through the cavern. A cold wind rushed past them, though there was usually no wind to be had inside the mountain.

"That... normal?" Paeris asked, shifting uncomfortably.

"Yes," Crestia lied.

Another sigil. Another spell. With each invocation, the magic thickened and wove together in a tight tapestry of energy, pressing against their skin like a growing storm. The runes pulsed in an unnatural rhythm, drawing power from the ley line beneath their feet.

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Stonebloom crossed his arms, his expression unreadable. Watching. Waiting.

Fizz had gone still, her usual snark absent.

Even Veyrin’s tail had stopped flicking.

Crestia swallowed, ignoring the creeping tension in her gut. Almost there.

She stepped to the final rune, kneeling over the intricate latticework of symbols. This was the keystone. The one that would bring the entire array to life.

Her voice came out softer than before. A whisper of power and the rune exploded in golden light.

The first warning sign that something was amiss was the deep, resonant hum from the crystals in the walls.

Fizz’s head snapped up. "Did anyone else hear that?"

The second sign was the buzz and faint shimmer in the cavern entrance—like a heat mirage.

Ros’Lyn turned, her breath hitching. "Wait. Is that—?"

Then the entire cavern vibrated.

A low, grinding sound echoed through the chamber. The shimmer at the entrance solidified into a glowing, translucent barrier.

Crestia’s stomach dropped. No.

"What—what just happened?" Paeris demanded, standing straight.

Bloom’s face darkened. "The cave… it sealed itself."

Crestia whirled toward the exit. The barrier pulsed, solid and unyielding. "No, no, no! This wasn’t supposed to happen!"

Stonebloom ran a hand along the barrier, his expression grim. "Ros’lyn?"

The elf reached out and touched the shimmering air. "The cave has sealed itself… some type of safety measure, probably designed to contain high intensity magic…" Ros’Lyn trailed off, looking back at the still-growing portal.

Crestia turned back to the ritual circle. The portal’s energy was unstable. It wasn’t just being fueled by the ley line… it was feeding on it. The runes flared brighter, too bright. The mountain trembled. Loose stone cracked and rained down from the ceiling.

Fizz swore. "The ritual is accelerating. We need to shut it down!"

"I can’t!" Crestia shouted over the rising hum. "It’s drawing directly from the ley line—I can’t sever the connection!"

There was a deafening crack and a chunk of rock plummeted down from the ceiling toward Fizz. Bloom moved instantly. His warhammer swung up, striking the boulder mid-air—shattering it into harmless shards before it could crush her. Fizz stumbled back, eyes wide. "Okay. That was too close."

Paeris had gone rigid, his usual grin long gone. He looked at Crestia, eyes sharp with something rarely seen—fear.

Ros’Lyn barely had time to react before another tremor knocked her off balance. She hit the ground hard, a jagged stone slicing across her calf and she cried out in pain. Instinctively she pressed a hand to the wound. A pulse of golden energy flowed as she began the healing charm. Her magic began to knit the skin back together, the heat barely noticeable under the weight of panic. "I’m fine!" she called, already pushing herself up. "But we need to MOVE!"

Another boom. Skrill yelped as a crack split the floor near him, sending him stumbling. Fizz grabbed his arm, dragging him back.

Crestia felt her chest tightening. Everything was falling apart.

Bloom made the call. "On the ship. NOW."

Crestia’s head snapped toward him. "What? No—"

"Fizz, you said it was built for deep sea exploration and mining, right? Can it survive a cave in?" Bloom asked hastily. We

Fizz grabbed Skrill by the collar and hauled him toward the craft. "I don’t like it, but he’s right!"

Paeris cursed but scrambled up the ramp. Ros’Lyn limped after them, one hand still glowing faintly from her last spell.

Crestia hesitated—everything she had worked for was slipping away. Another shuddering crack. More stone. More fractures.

Bloom reached out, gripping her wrist. "Crestia, NOW!"

She ran. The moment they were aboard, the portal ruptured. A blinding white light swallowed them whole.

And then—silence.