The quiet, chilling desert night shattered as the portal ripped open above the sand, bringing a gust of wind and the faint echo of chaos from the battlefield they had just escaped.
Out of the swirling light, one by one, the figures emerged, exhausted but alive.
"We made it!" shouted Princess Miriel, her relief almost tangible in the cold air. Behind her, Grand Magus Dopa stumbled through, his breaths coming hard and fast. His massive frame, still recovering from the intense fight, was hunched slightly as he kept a vigilant gaze on Major Kouga, who emerged last. The dark-clad officer appeared even more drained than the others, his face etched with fatigue and loss.
"Major… did you succeed?" Dopa asked, his voice rough but carrying a note of hope.
The Major took a steadying breath, his face shadowed as he replied, "I lost two of my team… but their deaths were not in vain."
