Silence happened for a few seconds. Then, Erend broke the silence first.
"When you left… this place didn't survive," he said. His gaze drifted toward the ruined streets outside the house. "Everything we saw out there showed that. The fractures, abandoned chambers, the murals carved in desperation. The civilization collapsed after you were gone."
Eccar nodded. "It didn't look like an external invasion. It looked like something rotted from inside."
Aesa tightened her grip on the mug. "They destroyed themselves."
Khepra-Ankh did not deny it. He simply sighed.
"Yes," he said. "Because the gate changed."
All three of them focused on him instantly.
"At first, the gate birthed monsters with flesh and claws," Khepra-Ankh continued. "Those monsters crushed walls, devoured crops, and slaughtered people openly. They were threats that could be seen, named, and fought." His eyes hardened. "But once I left, it adapted."
Erend felt a faint chill crawl up his spine.
