There was no transition.
No sense of movement.
One moment pressure, darkness, that whisper too close to ignore.
The next
Stillness.
Dante opened his eyes.
And immediately knew
This wasn't the same place.
Not the room.
Not the system.
Something in between.
Or worse
Something beyond both.
The space around him wasn't empty, but it wasn't solid either. It looked like a reflection of reality that hadn't fully decided what it wanted to be yet walls forming and dissolving, light bending in unnatural angles, shadows stretching without a source.
Controlled.
But unstable.
He didn't move right away.
He assessed.
Breathing steady.
Mind sharper than ever.
"You're adjusting faster than expected."
The voice came from behind him.
Dante didn't turn immediately.
"…You talk too much."
A faint pause.
Then
"I learned from you."
That made him turn.
The thing stood a few feet away.
But it looked different again.
Closer.
Not just physically
In presence.
In posture.
