The Hollowheart Enclave never felt smaller.
Artemis stood at the edge of the balcony, watching the darkening sky bleed into shades of bruised purple and red. The Beacon on her wrist pulsed steadily, a faint heartbeat synced to the world's unstable rhythm.
Below, the enclave buzzed with restless movement—soldiers preparing weapons, bonded sharpening their claws and resolve, whispers of uneasy alliances weaving through the halls.
Nova had joined their ranks, but the cold war between her faction and Artemis's loyalists simmered beneath every exchanged glance.
Elara approached quietly, breaking the tense silence.
"You've been out here a while," she said, voice low.
Artemis nodded. "Trying to figure out how we can trust each other when all we've known is betrayal."
Elara frowned. "Nova's power is undeniable, but her methods… ruthless."
Artemis's jaw tightened. "If we don't find a way to unify, the Hunters will pick us apart one by one."
A sharp clang echoed behind them—a training sparring match between two bonded warriors had turned fierce.
The enclave was a pressure cooker ready to explode.
Suddenly, the room fell silent. The Beacon's pulse changed—faster, erratic.
"Rift activity," Lyra called out from the command center.
Artemis and Elara exchanged a glance and hurried inside.
On the holo-map, a bright red blip pulsed near the eastern edge of the forest—a new rift tearing open, unstable and unpredictable.
Nova was already there, scanning data, her expression unreadable.
"We have minutes before it stabilizes," she said. "If it's allowed to mature, whatever comes through will be unstoppable."
Artemis's heart pounded. "Then we stop it. Together."
As the team scrambled to gear up, Artemis's mind raced—not just with the looming battle, but with the fragile bonds holding them all together.
The storm was coming. And they had no choice but to face it—side by side or shattered apart.