The air was heavy, the space around them a vast, grey void with no sky or horizon. Fractured stone structures jutted out, casting jagged shadows. It was silent—unnaturally so.

Then, a vortex of black and red spiraled open. A figure stepped through, clad in dark robes, an orange mask concealing his face. His lone crimson eye locked onto them, unreadable.

A beat of silence. Then, his voice, cold and firm:

“Who are you, and how did you get here?”