I stood still, staring at the thick black membrane surrounding the town. A suffocating presence settled over us, unseen yet palpable, like a predator lurking just beyond the edge of our perception.
'Absolutely great.'
Mael pressed his palm against the barrier, his brows furrowing. "It's… solid."
Ben, ever the skeptic, cracked his knuckles before throwing a punch at it. A dull vibration spread through the air, but the membrane absorbed the impact without so much as a ripple. No cracks. No signs of stress. Just an unmoving, impenetrable void.
I exhaled sharply. "Looks like we're locked in."
Flavia's face had paled, her breathing quick and shallow. "You don't think this is—"
"The shadowy bastard?" I finished for her, my tone flat with irritation. "Yeah, I do."
It was too much of a coincidence. The second we stepped through the town's entrance, this thing formed, sealing us inside like rats in a cage.
A trap.
Mael clenched his jaw. "We should've expected something like this."
