Aiden finds himself back in the gray. His mind calls it the Edge but the void around him swallows thoughts like that. He hovers in the silence, the pulsing light of the prize drawing his eyes down. He can see the crack in the Key has grown, how light itself pours from the fissure. He catches movement from his left and looks. Ashala clings to him, hanging from him in the nothing. She is screaming at him, mouth open wide, trying to tell him something, but it is impossible to understand her.
Aiden focuses on Airimeth, on the Guardians and their home world. Perhaps the fact he is opening a Portal to them will make the difference.