The silver portal shimmered before us, pulsing with an eerie glow. It wasn’t exactly inviting—at least, not to me. Judging by the silence, I’d bet the others felt the same way, though Argentum’s ever-present grin was an exception.
Yeah… none of us really wanted to go. But at this point, we had no choice.
Elyas let out a weary sigh. Maintaining the portal must have been taking a toll on him.
“There’s no turning back,” he said, his voice firm but tired. “Let’s just get this over with.” Then, he turned to me. “Ash, you’re taking the lead?”
I stuffed my hands into my pockets. “Why me?” I wasn’t the leader or anything. Did he think I’d inspire confidence in the others? Yeah, right.
Tack!
A sharp slap landed on my back, nearly knocking me forward. Argentum burst into laughter.
“Oh, that’s right! Should I call you Ash or Lina now?” His eyes sparkled with amusement.
I shot him a glare. He really didn’t hold back, huh? My shoulder still stung.
“Keep that up, and I’ll make sure you lose that one good hand of yours,” I muttered.
He just grinned wider.
With a sigh, I turned toward the portal. “It’s Lina. Lina Lapis.” I took a step forward, the swirling energy crackling against my skin. “Since we’ll be meeting Ash on the other side anyway.”
And with that, I stepped through.
The others followed close behind.
“Let’s see how this goes, shall we?”
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