The moment we passed through the gate, the oppressive weight of the entity's domain lifted, but the world we returned to felt subtly different. It was as if the air itself had changed—lighter, yes, but tinged with something unnamable, like a lingering echo of the battle we had fought. I glanced back at the gate, now little more than a cold, silent barrier between us and the void we had left behind, and shuddered.
The sun was low on the horizon, casting long shadows over the landscape. It was strange to see the natural world again, after what felt like an eternity in the heart of the shadows. The sky was tinged with deep purples and oranges, a reminder that time had passed here, even though it felt like we had been gone for much longer.
