The weight of our failure hung heavy in the cold, sterile room as Jim explained that he had managed to pull us out just before the world completely imploded. The revelation did little to soothe my anger and desperation; I yearned to know what fate had befallen Seraphina, Chloe, and Lilith.
"They're gone for now," Jim admitted solemnly. "But there's no time to dwell on their absence. Fueled by Drakon's death, Chaos spreads rapidly, threatening all realities."
"Why should we care about that now?" I demanded, furious at Jim's attempts to shift our focus. "Our friends are lost because of your incompetence!"
Jim's gaze hardened, his voice cold as ice. "This world has been classified as a CCS-type world since the cataclysmic implosion of the Storybook universe. Everyone perished because of your actions - you made the choices that led to this outcome. You are responsible for cleaning up the mess you created and preventing it from reoccurring."
