Cassidy saw the scene in front of her freeze, like a movie that the pause button had been pressed, before it shattered into a thousand fragments that dissolved into nothingness. During this she faintly heard the artificial tone of the system, announcing in a detached, mechanical voice, "Main task achieved."
She soon found herself back in her apartment, looking at the empty seat her brother had disappeared from, the feeling of helplessness and grief swelled, threatening to drown her, but she was yanked out of her spiraling thoughts by a sharp, abrupt knock at the door. She didn't move. Before she could even process the interruption, the door creaked open, uninvited and a female figure came into the apartment.
"Can I come in?" the woman asked, her tone so casual it bordered on dismissive. Yet she was already inside, her question a mere formality.
