Samantha's heart hammered against her ribs as she watched the portal's swirling vortex destabilize. The edges of the gateway fractured into jagged shards of light, each pulse growing more erratic, more violent. Time seemed to stretch impossibly as she waited, her entire being focused on that shimmering threshold between worlds.
"Marcus?" she gasped, turning back toward the portal.
The vortex was destabilizing rapidly, its edges breaking apart into fractals of light.
Did Marcus make it? She stared, full of hope at the portal, her breath caught in her throat. The swirling energy crackled, flickering wildly as if it might collapse at any second.
Her hands trembled at her sides. Come on, Marcus.
Five seconds passed. Ten. Fifteen.
The portal's hum changed pitch, dropping to a dangerous, guttural grinding that vibrated through the marble floor. Sparks of unnatural purple light—corruption from the Well—began to contaminate the blue energy of the gateway.
