The transition was brutal. The absolute silence of the void was replaced by a cacophony of birdsong and the rustle of leaves. Lyra collapsed onto soft, damp grass, the air filling her lungs with the sweet scent of blooming jasmine and rain. Beside her, Malphas lay sprawled on his back, his breathing ragged. He reached out, his calloused fingers grasping at the soil as if testing whether the earth beneath them was real or merely another layer of the illusion.
Is this it? Malphas whispered. He sat up slowly, shielding his eyes from the brilliance of a natural sun that hung low in a clear, azure sky. His skin, once deathly pale from the void, now took on a faint, healthy hue. Yet, he looked at his hands with profound distrust.
Lyra stood, her knees shaking as she took in the vista. They wer
