The air between Samiel and Zhulthar hung still, as if reality itself waited for the next move. Samiel's gaze remained steady, calm—unnaturally so, given the monstrous presence standing before him. His lips didn't move, but his mind reached out.
'Lucian.'
In the depths of his mind, a voice stirred. 'What is it?' came Lucian's reply, deep and measured, the current Great Demon Monarch.
'Open your domain. Now. Take everyone aside from me and Zhulthar inside, quickly.'
Lucian hesitated, the surprise evident even through the mental connection. 'You—'
But Samiel's will was clear and unwavering.
'Do it,' Samiel commanded, sharper this time.
Lucian, despite the initial shock, exhaled slowly.
'As you wish.' With a flick of his fingers, the very fabric of reality shuddered, and in an instant, everyone surrounding them—Lord Magnus, Solon, Nazia, Helene, Aryvn, all of them—vanished.
