The light of the teleportation door faded behind him.
Runar's feet touched solid ground. For a single heartbeat, everything felt normal. The air was still. The space was quiet. His body felt like his body.
Then the suppression hit.
It was not a gradual pressure or a slow tightening, like a hand closing around your throat. It was an absolute, crushing weight that slammed down on every part of his existence at the same instant. His knees almost buckled. A sharp, involuntary breath left his lungs. His vision blurred for a fraction of a second. His thoughts stuttered.
"What the fuck… this place is fucking dangerous."
The words came out low and rough. He stood perfectly still, forcing his breathing to steady while his mind raced through the damage the suppression had caused. He needed to understand what was happening. He needed to know exactly what had been taken from him.
