Just as everyone found their corresponding pillar, a hum suddenly rang through the hall.
The nine pillars began to glow faintly white, sending visible ripples through the air.
The sudden phenomenon seemed to confirm Juanjuan's guess.
The nine sets of ripples spread until they converged at the center, weaving together into one enormous wave.
A vortex slowly formed at its heart.
"Another vortex!"
"That's what dragged me in here!"
As voices rustled through the hall, thick mist began pouring from the vortex.
Within moments, it filled the hall.
Everyone was already standing by a separate pillar. Now the dense mist hid them from one another entirely.
"Ligota, are you all right?" Uriel called through the mist.
A moment later, a soft voice answered, "I'm fine. How about you, brother?"
Glaimo said, "Everything's fine here."
Most of the others also spoke up to say they were unharmed.
Once they had checked on one another, Uriel called toward Juanjuan, "What do we do now? Stay by the pillars, or gather together?"
Juanjuan's calm voice soon reached them.
"If the mist is part of the ritual, then we're in the middle of it right now."
"But we don't know whether the ritual is still running, or whether it's already finished."
After all, they knew almost nothing about it.
They knew it existed, but its purpose and how many stages it had remained a mystery.
"So until we know where we are in the process, we'd best wait by the pillars. We can consider leaving once we're sure nothing else will change."
More than half of them failed to understand Juanjuan's explanation, but they could still follow the plan.
With someone to guide them, they felt noticeably calmer. The brief panic caused by the mist gradually subsided.
Blanche was far less uneasy than