Aaron's eyes flickered open, and an unsettling sensation spread through his body. Something felt off. His limbs were weightless, yet he wasn’t falling. His hand tightened instinctively, and he noticed the familiar ring still encircling his finger. A simple white sash draped over him, but his legs dangled, suspended in midair.
Disoriented, he scanned his surroundings. A transparent, cylindrical tank enclosed him. Above and below, circular metal platforms sealed the chamber, trapping him inside.
Why was he floating? What was this? His thoughts spiraled as fragments of memory crashed into him: the fair, his father, Apophis, and then the brutal defeat. But above all, the worst image of all, Era, throwing herself between him and death, losing her arm in the process.
"Era!" His voice was raw
