One moment I was sitting beside North, and in the very next, everything around me disappeared.
The warmth of the house, her presence, the quiet comfort of that space was gone. I found myself floating in a vast void.
There was nothing around me. No ground, no air, no direction. Just endless darkness stretching in every direction. The only thing that broke that emptiness was a single distant star, shining far away, its faint light barely illuminating the space around us.
And in front of me stood Defender Aurora.
She stood there calmly, floating as if the void itself supported her. Her hands were placed behind her back, her posture almost casual. I glanced around once more, confirming there was truly nothing else here, before returning my gaze to her.
"Welcome, Lord Billion," she said, her voice softly echoing the void. "I saw the video that's going around. You've grown strong."
I smiled slightly.
