The thing blasted through the void atmosphere like a rocket. I saw it on one of Yaella's monitors. She looked as composed as ever, her legs crossed and her finger circling the armrest of her throne-chair.

  The video feed zoomed in on the entity's general location, and I caught the silhouette of a rhino without hind legs zipping through the field at an astonishing velocity, making it look like a meteorite. My [Insight] could have easily given me its details if I had had an actual visual on it.

  "Meteorhin." Elita spoken up while tapping fervently at the interface before her. "Native to Vulkhanzhar. [D]-class Zeldritch. Those do not just wander off into void dimension."

  Yaella tapped her fan, snapped it open and waved it in front of her to point. "That is because it's claimed by a rider. Hunter probably. Wanderan."

  "Not an issue for us as we're camouflaged from all detection."

  I didn't see the man until she pointed it out. There, clinging to reins while atop the beast's back was indeed a human-shaped figure adorned in combat gear. Think tech-wear but with that vagabond dune explorer fashion who would fit in a DND party as the rouge. That was that guy's attire.

  "Not alone. He is hunting another entity above his grade." Elita said.

  She was right. Almost undetectable, swimming within the shadows of the asteroid belt of this void space. I caught sight of that monstrous thing. A giant manta-shark with an abyss aesthetic meant for stealth and more eyes than I could tolerate to count.

  The thought to intervene and ask Yaella a few questions about the situation was quick to be interrupted. When two more Meteorhin riders arrived and were already firing upon the shark monster with their staff-guns. That provoked the shark to attack. Beads along its fins and flanks lit up, firing lasers. The field became a colossus light-show like laser tag as the shark retaliated.

  "Is that normal?" I asked. "Seems like a pretty big deal to me."

  Yaella's expression was neutral. Her hand never stopped tapping her fan against her cheek.

  "There are always hunters," she said. "Just usually not so close."

  "Should we intervene?"

  "No." Yaella smiled. "This is their fight. We don't need to get involved."

  I watched as the three hunters continued their pursuit of the shark-monster. They seemed to be gaining on it, and the creature was struggling to keep ahead. One of the riders fired a shot at its tail, and the beast howled in pain.

  "I would prefer to avoid getting caught up in a conflict," Yaella added. Her gaze locked on me. "You may consider me callous, but we're going to make an immediate detour from the area. Elita, if you may."

  "Of course, Lady Yaella."

  And they did. The ship swerved sharply away from the scene, the motion sending me sliding across the interior. I gripped the nearest wall to keep myself upright, my heart hammering in my chest.

  "Warning next time! Please!"

  Yaella smiled. "You'll get used to it."

  The ship leveled out, the deck leveling itself beneath my feet. I stood unsteadily, one hand against the wall for balance.

  "Sorry," she said. "Elita tends to be enthusiastic when avoiding conflict. The only thing that scares her more than the void is a fight."

  "That's not… entirely accurate, my Lady." Elita glowed a soft pink as her tentacles reached for what could have been herface.

  "I'm only teasing," Yaella said gently. "Your concern for us is always appreciated."

  Elita bobbed in midair, her color shifting to a rosy hue.

  The ship sailed through the void space, the deck humming quietly beneath my feet. I leaned against the wall and watched the lights flickering by outside. I didn't know what to say.

  "They're outmatched aren't they? That shark suffered zero damage from their laser fire and those meteorhin are being swatted like flies."

  "You're observant, KiAera." Yaella was quiet for a moment. "It is not my place to intervene. The hunters know what they're doing."

  "Even when one of them just got hit by a tail swing?"

  "Especially then," she said while hiding her lips with her fan. Hopefully that wasn't a grin.

  The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

  "We've arrived, my Lady." Elita's voice echoed softly in the ship's cabin.

  The ship slowed to a stop, bobbing gently in the air. The deck tilted forward, allowing us a better view of the void space beyond the hull.

  Ahead of us, there was a shimmering wall of light—a translucent barrier that stretched across the entire horizon. Below a large platform that could have fit an entire village began to hover into view with eerie bioluminescent flora and crystal fauna. It was breathtaking in a way that made me feel small. Like I was looking at a world from a far-away galaxy.

  Yaella stepped forward, her expression calm and serene. She folded her fan and tucked it away, then clasped her hands at her waist.

  "Welcome to the entrance of UvoSath," she said. "We'll send you through the rift to return. Elita and Arostotle, please prepare our landing."

  "Of course, my Lady," Elita replied, her tone eager. The other jellyfish-like entity nodded silently in affirmation.

  Yaella turned to me. "I know you don't trust me. But I'm grateful you came this far."

  "I don't trust strangers," I said with a smile. "But I trust my gut. You gave this escort a good travel. 4.5 out of 5 just for that bumpy ride."

  Yaella bowed her head slightly, her expression still neutral. "I am honored to hear that."

  "But I do have one more question."

  "Yes?"

  "If you're able to travel between dimensions, why not just go home?"

  Yaella smiled, her eyes softening. "My home is gone, KiAera. Now enough with the chatter. I'll have to stabilize the rift's energies once we are grounded. I'll need your help."

  "All right," I said. "Let's go."

  We disembarked from the ship and made our way down to the platform below. It was a strange place, like the inside of a cave—all rough stone and twisting shadows. But the air was clean, and the light was warm. It felt like we were in a cavern, but also someplace else.

  It wasn't until the second time Yaella looked back that I realized how far we'd walked—if "walking" was even the right word. The world around us had twisted. Gone was the ruinic forest. Gone were the splintered craters and the sigh of burning blue fissures. Instead, a corridor of dusk stretched in all directions, thick with drifting motes of silver light. The ground was a dark, velvety nothingness that swallowed sound.

  Yaella stalked ahead toward a blueish split in the air. It was like a vertical puddle, rippling gently against the floor. She placed both hands on either side of it, then closed her eyes.

  "I've never been this close to an actual rift before," I said.

  She didn't look at me. "They're not dangerous unless you know what you're doing."

  "And you know what you're doing?"

  "Yes." She turned to face me, her eyes intense. "It will take me several minutes to stabilize this. I'll need you to keep watch."

  I nodded. "Okay."

  She began muttering under her breath, her voice low and steady. Her hands glowed softly with magic as she worked her spell. I stood guard, keeping an eye on the surroundings for any signs of danger.

  Yaella paused, half-turned, magenta eyes bright against the gloom. "This is the threshold," she said. "Szylla's domain ends here. Beyond it, you'll return to the fracture lines of your own dimension."

  I opened my mouth. Closed it. My mind felt thick—like it was still bruised from everything Szylla had done to me. The evolution, the berserk slaughter, the terrible clarity that came after. I still didn't feel entirely here. Or entirely me.

  That was when Yaella stepped closer.

  She stopped so near that the petals spinning around her brushed my shoulders. Up close, they hummed faintly, like tiny blades vibrating with purpose. Her scent was sharp—flowers, iron, and rain. Not comforting. Not meant to be.

  "You wonder what waits for you outside her veil," Yaella said. "If the Rite changed you beyond what your world will tolerate."

  Her eyes flicked to my chest. To the place my Chimera's Mark illuminated beneath the skin, now fed by something stranger, undeniably Unique.

  "Good," she added softly. "That valor means your soul still clings to its own reflection."

  Then, before I could move, she reached out and placed two fingers against my sternum.

  The world folded.

  I staggered—actually staggered—into her. But instead of recoiling, she steadied me with an arm around my shoulders. The motion was gentle, practiced. The kind of ease born from catching countless other broken things before they hit the ground.

  "Easy," she murmured. "It's only the crossing."

  My mouth went dry. The last time someone had touched my Mark without permission, it had been Szylla, shoving Unique particles into me like stuffing seeds through soil. I half-expected agony. Or ecstasy. Or annihilation.

  Instead, there was a sense of… alignment. Like pieces I didn't know were crooked inside me shifted into place. My breath came easier. My eyes cleared.

  When I looked again, the veil of dusk had torn. I was standing at the edge of a shattered ravine, blue stormlight flickering over broken monoliths and floating shards of land; my own world's ruins, the UvoSath's outskirts, familiar in its heartbreak.

  And Yaella stood beside me, serene as ever.

  "Your patron was meticulous," she said, almost admiring. "I doubt she'll let you stray far from her interests. But you're free of her direct bindings now."

  My stomach twisted. I didn't want to think about Szylla watching through my eyes, savoring every monstrous choice I might make next.

  "How about the MereShaman?" I blurted, sharper than I meant. The words tumbled out raw. "That irritating fuzzball—what do you think he is up to now?"

  Yaella tilted her head. Her silver hair rippled as though caught by phantom winds. "He was retrieved earlier. Your trial diverged from his. He is safe, in his own way. Undergoing the last phase of his Rite. Your paths will cross again—if either of you survives long enough."

  I closed my eyes. Let out a breath that tasted like relief and regret.

  A faint chime.

  I opened my eyes to see Elita drifting closer. Her appendages curled inward in what I realized was a bow of sorts. Respectful. Maybe even sympathetic.

  "Now," Yaella said. "Walk forward. The dimension will finish stabilizing around you. Try not to unravel yourself again."

  I shot her a dark look. "Comforting."

  Her smile was small, but not mocking. Almost… approving. "Survive, KiAera. Not many who walk into the Sovereigns' dark remain standing on the other side."

  Then she stepped back into the drifting petals. They closed around her, spiraled, and were simply gone—taking Yaella, Elita, and even the faint vibration of their presence with them.

  I was left alone on a ledge above my own shattered world, the Mark on my chest beating with something new and feral. The sky rumbled overhead, electric with possibility.

  I took a breath. Rolled my shoulders, and walked forward into whatever came next, monster or not.