Once Cain stepped out of the human plane, the world around him folded shut like a wound sealing itself.
The portal shrank behind him with a sharp hiss, its edges flickering before vanishing entirely, leaving only disturbed air and a faint pressure that slowly faded.
He hovered in the void between planes, massive blood wings beating in a slow and steady rhythm, their shadows stretching far beneath him.
Suspended behind him were several humans, still alive, still conscious, wrapped tightly in blood-forged bindings that clung to their bodies like living cloth. Their limbs were locked in place, their mana sealed, their faces pale with rage and fear as they struggled uselessly.
Cain glanced back at them, then turned his gaze forward, eyes narrowing.
"This is going to be annoying," he muttered. "If this little war spreads toward the Moonshade Family, it will ruin everything I prepared."
