The man's golden eyes locked onto his. "Of what you were meant to become."
Jude's heart pounded in his chest. There was something in those words that struck deeper than he wanted to admit.
Lyara took a step forward, her blades still raised. "We didn't come here to play games."
The man chuckled. "No, I suppose you didn't." He gestured to the battlefield around them. "Yet here you are, fighting a war you barely understand."
Jude exhaled sharply. "Then explain it."
The man studied him for a long moment before finally speaking. "This world is breaking." His voice was calm, steady. "The anchors that hold it together are failing. You've already destroyed one."
Jude frowned. "The obelisk…"
"The first anchor," the man confirmed. "There were once many, scattered across time and space. Pillars of stability, keeping the Rift contained. But now… they fall."
Jude glanced at Lyara. "And you're saying we caused that?"
