Sara woke before the light changed.
The fire had burned down to embers. The forest felt different in the early hours. Quieter. Watching.
She sat up slowly. Her body ached, but her mind was worse. Sleep had brought strange dreams. Not her own. Cities breaking. Blue fire in the sky. A man screaming with her voice.
She pressed the amulet to her chest. It was warm.
Devin stood at the edge of the ridge, facing the valley. He hadn't slept. She was sure of it. His posture was too stiff. Too alert.
"You ever rest?" she asked.
He didn't turn. "When it's safe."
"And is it safe now?"
"No."
She sighed and got to her feet. "Figures."
They ate in silence. Dry rations. Bitter water. Sara forced it down anyway. Hunger wasn't something she could afford.
After a while, she spoke. "You talked in your sleep."
That got his attention. He glanced at her, eyes sharp. "I don't sleep."
"You do," she said. "You just don't remember it."
His jaw tightened. "What did I say?"
She hesitated. "Names. Places. And… arguments. Like you were talking to someone."
"There was no one."
"I know," she said gently. "That's what worries me."
The air between them went tense. For a moment, she thought he might snap at her. Or walk away.
Instead, he exhaled. Slow. Controlled.
"Drop it," he said.
Sara nodded. "Okay. But I'm not scared of you."
"You should be."
"Maybe," she said. "But you haven't hurt me. Not once."
That landed harder than she expected. Devin looked away.
They moved out soon after, heading down into the valley. The land was worse up close. Cracked ground. Trees twisted into shapes that hurt to look at. Magic lingered like smoke.
Sara felt it pulling at her. The amulet hummed.
Devin noticed. "Don't use it."
"I didn't touch it."
"It responds to you," he said. "That's worse."
They reached the ruins by midday. Stone buildings half-melted. Symbols carved into the walls. Sara recognized some of them. Her breath caught.
"This language," she said. "It's not from Veridia. It's from my world."
Devin stared at the markings. "That's not possible."
"It is," she said. "And that means I'm not the first."
Silence followed.
"If people from my world have been coming here," she continued, "then the rift didn't start with me."
Devin's expression darkened. "Then it was planned."
A chill ran through her.
Something moved in the ruins. A low sound. Wet. Hungry.
Devin stepped in front of her without thinking. Blade out. Stance ready.
She noticed.
And for the first time, she understood something clearly.
Whatever was broken inside him, he still chose to protect.
The creature emerged.
And the rift answered.