It wasn't the first time on the front lines for Marcus Valerius of House Valerius, though it would be wrong to say he wasn't awestruck like the first time he was in this unique environment. The feeling was still there, though perhaps somewhat dulled this second time; the long, boring, and tedious journey only intensified it.
It would have taken a few minutes for him to travel all this distance if he only used the warp gate for a couple of teleportations, but his mother insisted that he travel a third of the empire with his retainers, building their team and wasting time instead of joining right before the time.
Surprisingly enough, they were a week early, but that would only provide more time for him and his team to familiarise themselves with the daunting environment of the rift. Unfortunately, not everyone on his team shared his enthusiasm.
