The moment the last echo of battle faded, Aurelia let out a shaky breath, her eyes locked on the portal, its swirling energy still crackling with remnants of the chaos it held back. She turned to Anastasia, her voice filled with both hope and dread.
"Is it over? Are they…" she hesitated, her voice trailing off.
Anastasia met her gaze, her own eyes shadowed with exhaustion and worry. But she nodded, albeit hesitantly, her lips pressed into a thin line. "We have to check," she said, her voice just loud enough to carry above the faint hum of the portal's energy. It was the answer Aurelia had feared but knew she needed to hear.
Without another word, the two of them stepped forward, disappearing into the portal. The world around them shifted, the familiar landscape of their realm giving way to the surreal expanse of the Plane of Chaos.
