The gateway hummed.
Thirteen figures stepped through the flickering light into the concealed chamber beneath the Dimensional Mechanics Tower—the same hidden hall where the Twelfth Gate had first opened.
The door sealed shut behind them.
The world was… unchanged.
Same dust in the air.
Same distant ringing of the second morning bell echoing through the academy's towers.
It hadn't even tolled a third time.
"Wait—" Ren said slowly, scanning the crystalline time glyph etched above the exit door. "That can't be right."
Calla furrowed her brow. "This says we've only been gone for… five minutes."
Velka blinked. "But we were inside the Gate for at least six hours. Maybe more."
Argolaith said nothing, but the cube at his side pulsed once—quietly confirming what he already suspected.
Time in the Secret Realm did not follow the laws of outside space.
A moment later, Elder Mirith stepped into the chamber from the side antechamber, her robe trailing soft starlight and her gaze sharp.
