The transition was remarkably quiet.
There was no jarring disconnect, no hydraulic hiss of a VR pod opening, and no sudden weight of biological frailty.
When Vahn Ryker slowly opened his eyes, he was still kneeling on the asphalt of the central plaza.
But the world around him had fundamentally changed.
The smell of burning concrete and ozone was entirely gone.
It was replaced by the incredibly sharp scent of dense ambient mana.
The rain had stopped.
The sky above was a clear bright blue. A faint beautiful hexagonal grid occasionally shimmered in the clouds.
It was evidence of the planetary firewall he had just erected.
Vahn pushed himself up and rolled his shoulders.
He felt different.
The disconnect between his physical body and his digital avatar had been completely erased.
He wasn't playing a game anymore. The reality of Earth and the mechanics of Aetheria had merged perfectly into a singular existence.
