The silence here was different.
Not like the chamber.
Not artificial.
Natural.
And that alone made it feel fragile.
Emily pushed herself up slowly, every movement stiff, her body still adjusting to whatever it had become. The faint white-gold light beneath her skin pulsed once, then settled again—quiet, but present.
Watching.
Listening.
She exhaled. “Okay… new rule.”
Theodore glanced at her.
“If anything else starts glowing, tearing, or opening—” she gestured vaguely “—we run first, questions later.”
“That would be the optimal approach.”
“Great. Glad we’re on the same page.”
She took in their surroundings properly now.
The space was narrow, enclosed, but not claustrophobic. Smooth walls curved overhead, faintly reflective, like polished stone or aged metal. No visible seams.
