The world snapped back into focus with the harsh sting of cold wind.
Aurora stumbled forward, boots crunching against broken stone. Vanessa caught her arm just before she fell, while Juggernaut emerged behind them with a ground-shaking thud. Silvanna was the last through, her crimson aura fading as the portal sealed itself shut behind them with a metallic hiss.
They were home.
But it didn't look like the home they had left.
The ruins stretched before them like a battlefield abandoned too soon. The air reeked of smoke and burnt metal. Whole blocks of their city were torn apart—shattered glass, crumbling walls, twisted steel jutting from the earth like skeletal remains.
Vanessa's golden hair shimmered faintly under the overcast sky as she scanned the devastation. Her voice was tight, uncertain. "What… happened while we were gone?"
Aurora pressed a hand to the cracked pavement, feeling its residual energy. The earth still hummed, whispering of recent conflict. "This isn't old damage. This happened… days ago. Maybe hours."
Juggernaut narrowed his eyes, fists clenching. "Looks like someone didn't wait for us."
Silvanna stepped forward, her crimson eyes glowing faintly as she surveyed the horizon. The wind tugged at her hair, carrying with it the distant echo of alarms. "No… this isn't just someone. This is war."
The four of them exchanged a look. They had just returned from worlds of allies and uneasy truces, from fighting monsters that didn't belong to them. But here—this was their fight. Their people. Their ground.
Aurora's jaw tightened. "We need to move. Now. Find out who's behind this before they tear apart what's left."
Vanessa's hand sparked with radiant energy, her power answering her determination. "Do you think it's the Serpents again?"
Silvanna shook her head slowly. "No. Something else. Something bigger."
A low rumble broke across the ruins, not from Juggernaut this time, but from beyond the shattered skyline. The ground shivered.
Aurora drew in a sharp breath. Her voice was quiet but firm.
"They knew we were gone."
Juggernaut let out a growl, stepping to the front of the group like a living wall. "Then they're gonna regret it."
The four stood against the fractured horizon, powers flaring, eyes burning with resolve. Whatever awaited them, it would not find them unprepared.
Home was no longer safe—but it was still theirs. And they would fight to keep it.