The portal within the endless fog stood still, its blue edges moving in a slow, deliberate clockwise motion. A faint hum pulsed from its core, a soft, resonating sound that blended with the silence of the fog-covered expanse. The surrounding mist shifted gently, pushed by small gusts of wind that stirred the air like ripples across water.
The five women who made up Nolan's harem stood around it, visibly growing impatient.
"It's been thirty minutes and he still hasn't come out," Rachel said with a long, bored yawn, arms crossed under her chest. Her eyes narrowed at the swirling portal. "Is he dead or what?"
"Let me check," one of the others muttered, stepping forward and placing her hand on the edge of the vortex.
A red error interface immediately blinked into existence, floating in the air before them.
Rachel rolled her eyes and turned toward Nolan, who had remained silent all this time, standing a few steps away with his arms folded and eyes closed.
