Damian didn't hesitate.
He felt Adrian's pulse like a soft silver thread through the darkness beyond.
He dove through.
Caleb stumbled after him.
Ethan half-carried Marcus, who still clutched Neol's limp body.
Behind them,
the respiratory sac convulsed in fury.
The tear tried to close.
Damian slammed a burning palm against the edge,
holding it open long enough for the last of his team to slip through.
And then—
They were out.
Gasping.
Reeling.
Collapsed in a darker, narrower passage beyond the breath of the beast.
But alive.
Damian lifted his head, chest rising and falling in sharp, shaking breaths.
The pulse tugged at him again—
clearer now.
Closer.
He rose to his feet.
"Keep moving," he said.
And they followed him into the dark.