Original timeline

Two days have passed since the timejump. A storm is brewing over Rata Sum and Zojja has returned to the city after taking emergency leave on personal matters. Just mild wind and distant thunder at the moment. Zojja just couldn't believe what Diina is telling her.

"You have the nerve to look me in the eye and say my equations were not correct? Didn't those first two volunteers successfully travel to the past?" said Zojja.

Diina was clearly showing frustration, trying to make Zojja understand. "Yes, they made it. However..."

"So therefore, my equations are correct."

"You're not listening! Selene and Azeena are in a different timeline, not our own! You saw the terminal data yourself. Are you calling it a liar as well?"

Azelia has heard enough. "Hey! Knock it off, both of you! This is no time to be blaming fault! Once we get them back, you can argue all you want. Do I make myself perfectly clear?"

Neither said anything so Azelia took the silence as a 'yes'. She went back over to the main terminal where Ellie was sitting. Logan adjusted the newly reconfigured Vortex Manipulator worn on his right forearm, not feeling confident in the plan.

"Are you absolutely certain this has been programmed correctly this time?" he asked Ellie.

"Yes. We went over the variables, made dozens of system checks for almost 12 hours and corrected Zojja's errors."

Zojja was about to protest the last part of that comment but Azelia gave her a look that says 'hush'. The Asuran kept quiet as the storm was slowly gaining strength.

Diina approached Logan with two small circuit-like cards and gave them to him. "All right, let's make sure you understand what to do, just to be sure."

Logan took a deep breath before responding. "You will send me back in time to Orr about 5 minutes before Selene and Azeena arrive. When they do, I give each of them one of these cards and explain the situation. It will reprogram their VM units for a safe and guaranteed return to the present day of our timeline."

"Correct," Diina said.

Engie and Bat finished inspecting the wiring and circuits of the portal gate platform, then stepped away from it. Everything checks out at optimal levels.

"Portal gate all set," Bat told Diina.

She nodded to him and went back to her terminal to begin entering spacetime coordinates. Logan stood near the portal gate, stowing the small cards in a pocket and waited for the time portal to open. Light rain began to fall at this point. They are in an area with very little overhead covering.

A blast of lightning suddenly erupted and struck a portion of the overhead structure high above them. The debris began to fall and Tesla was directly under it. She didn't notice what was happening but Logan did. With no time to waste, he dashed to Tesla as fast as he could, tackling her aside. The debris barely missed them and struck the ground, crumbling to pieces.

Logan slowly got Tesla up to a sitting position. He placed his hand on her cheek in concern.

"Are you all right?" he asked.

She put her own hand on Logan's, smiling. "I am now... thanks to you." He helped her back up.

"Um, Diina... this storm is getting worse. We really need that portal right now," Azelia said.

"Almost done. Logan, get ready!"

He returned to in front of the gate as a time portal emerged within the gate frame. The interior had the appearance of a slowly swirling tunnel in a dark blue hue. But before he could step inside, a second bolt of lightning hit the portal gate itself. Everyone was startled as Logan quickly stepped away. The time vortex was distorting in strange ways that cannot be described in words, with the color hue switching from blue to red.

"Shut it down!" Zigg demanded, fearing the spacetime coordinates may have been affected. Diina's terminal sparked and partially short circuited. The portal then slowly started to change to the image of what looked like a forest with wide open spaces. Azelia and Violet almost immediately recognized where it was they are looking at.

"The Grove," they both said in unison. However, instead of destroyed and burned trees, it was colorful with fully bloomed leaves and everything. A light rain was falling there as well. Unknown to everyone watching, this was not the corrupted timeline.

It is from what is believed to be a second alternate timeline.

There was no sound heard from the other side. The portal was projecting only visual images. From the right hand side of the portal, the avatar of the Pale Tree appeared, slowly backing up together with an alternate version of Azelia in front of her. It looked like she was acting as the Avatar's bodyguard. Alt-Azelia had a greatsword in hand, firing several Spatial Surges at something out of view.

Everyone couldn't believe what they were seeing, completely speechless. The original Azelia stepped closer to the portal as Logan stepped further back. The Avatar and Alt-Azelia step beyond the portal's left, with Alt-Azelia continuing her assault. From the portal's right, a third individual appeared. It is a female guardian with white/black invader armor with red trim. The attacks didn't seem to have any effect as the guardian slowly walked towards the duo.

Something out of view caused the greatsword beams to stop. The guardian halted her advance, raising her right hand. Small crackling lines of white electricity danced along her hand and forearm. Her body movements gave the impression that she didn't have a clear shot at them and was looking for one. But then, out of the corner of her eye, the guardian noticed the active portal next to her, slowly turning her head towards it with glowing red eyes. Her skin was pale and almost zombie-like. On her chest armor piece, UHoT's guild emblem can now be seen.

"Azeena!" Violet said, surprising everyone. Azelia gasped in disbelief.

Azeena tilted her head a bit, confused on what she was seeing herself. She looked back to where Alt-Azelia was, then back to the portal.

The original had an idea. She began making a 'come to me' motion with her hands. "Step through the portal!"

Instead, Azeena started showing anger. The energy dancing on her arm increased as if charging something.

"What is she doing?" Zojja asked.

Azeena pointed her right hand at the portal, looking directly at Azelia. Before anyone could move out of the way, Azeena appeared to scream in fury as a massive blast of white energy struck the portal. However, it didn't go through. Instead, it was affecting the portal gate itself as the portal's image faded away. The gate was overloading and alarms going off.

"Everyone, take cover! NOW!" Logan demanded.

They did exactly that, hiding behind the nearest things that looked heavy or stable enough to withstand damage. Moments later, the portal gate violently exploded. All of Rata Sum rumbled in its wake.