Vadim PoV
My boots landed hard on the jagged black surface of the floating island. The gravity felt off here, pulling at my armor in ways that didn't make sense, like the island itself had its own rules for weight and movement. It wasn't like being on solid ground back home or even floating freely in the abyss—this place felt wrong, like walking on something that shouldn't exist but did anyway. The stone beneath my feet shifted slightly as I tested my balance, each step careful in case the strange pull suddenly shifted.
Akemi landed silently beside me, her translucent green wings folding seamlessly into her back. She immediately drew her rapier, her eyes scanning the dark, starry expanse we had just left behind. "No sign of the jellyfish," she murmured. "But we shouldn't linger out in the open."
