The centre did not welcome them with light.
It… welcomed them with a silence of immense weight.
Aurelia stepped forward without a sound, and immediately felt something shift the very way she carried herself. It was not a pressure forcing her body into submission, but a presence that caused everything unimportant to simply… fall away of its own accord.
The creature at Aurelia's side came to a complete halt.
Its lines of light ceased their movement.
Not because it had ceased to be,
But because… there was simply no need to move.
The units behind remained in position, guarding the core.
Yet, that core was no longer the sole focus of attention.
It simply… existed.
Kael narrowed his eyes.
"This is no ordinary space," he said quietly.
Orion nodded.
"Density beyond structure."
Ragnar let out a long breath.
"It's like… time and everything else just stops here."
Aurelia offered no denial.
For she felt it far more deeply than words could convey.
In this place,
