The verdant, out-of-season growth surrounding the house sent a cold prickle down Ethan's spine. He dug into his pocket, fingers closing around his phone, and tapped the screen, but nothing happened.
It was Dead. Completely off.
That alone told him more than he wanted to know. He had not been gone for a few days, or even weeks.
He raised his wrist and summoned the terminal interface of Shatterstar, his breath unconsciously held as the display flickered to life. The date stared back at him, and his heart skipped hard enough that it physically hurt.
He had returned from Ascension Isle in April of 2025. Ethereal itself had only launched in October 2024. Even accounting for time distortion, that should have placed him mere months ahead at most.
The terminal read: August 6, 2026.
Over a year and three months had passed.
A full year of his life had simply vanished.
