The moment Trench's boots dug into the fractured ground, the Astral Plane twisted around them. The cracks beneath their feet glowed an unnatural red, pulsing like an open wound in reality. A deafening hum filled the air, and Darling felt it in his bones—something was waking up.
Emily floated higher, her body still rigid, her glowing eyes locked onto them. The glyphs around her shimmered violently before shifting, rearranging themselves into something more aggressive. The whispers became full voices now, layered and overlapping, speaking in a language neither Trench nor Darling recognized.
"This isn't just an anomaly," Darling muttered, gripping his head. "Something else is here."
Trench stepped forward, gun raised. "Emily, listen to me. If you can fight it, do it now."
Her face twisted, as though she was trying to respond, but whatever force had taken hold of her wasn't letting go. The glow in her eyes flared, and then, without warning, she raised her hand. A wave of force erupted from her fingertips, hurling Trench and Darling backward.
Darling crashed against a floating platform, pain jolting up his spine. Trench managed to land on his feet, skidding across the unstable ground before digging in. He raised his Service Weapon, but hesitated. He wasn't about to shoot her—not yet.
Emily descended slowly, the air around her rippling. The presence inside her spoke again, her lips moving, but the voice was not her own.
"You trespass where you do not belong."
Trench gritted his teeth. "Who are you?"
The glyphs swirled faster. The space around them shifted, monoliths breaking apart and reforming as though the Plane itself was alive. Darling pulled himself up, analyzing every movement.
"This isn't the Board," he whispered. "This is something else."
Emily's possessed form turned toward them, and for the first time, her expression shifted—flickering with something that resembled fear.
"She's trying to fight it," Darling realized, stepping forward. "Emily! If you can hear me, focus on my voice!"
The glowing field around her flickered, dimming for a brief second. It was enough. Trench holstered his weapon and lunged forward, grabbing Emily's wrist.
The moment he made contact, everything exploded in a wave of white light.
Darling blinked, his head spinning as the void around them pulsed erratically. Trench was on one knee, gripping his head, while Emily lay on the ground, gasping for breath. The glow in her eyes was gone.
She coughed, her voice hoarse. "What… what happened?"
Trench exhaled, pushing himself to his feet. "We'll explain later. Right now, we need to get the hell out of here."
Darling scanned the surroundings. The Plane was still unstable, the structures around them shifting unnaturally. "Agreed. Whatever that was, it didn't like us being here."
Trench helped Emily to her feet, steadying her. "Let's move."
As they turned toward the Control Point, the whispers returned—fainter this time, but still present. Watching. Waiting.
Something had noticed them.
And it wasn't going to forget.