When his vision returned, Michael found standing in the middle of a wide, gleaming plaza.
The ground beneath his feet was made of pale stone that stretched outward in every direction, etched with faint glowing patterns that pulsed like veins of light. A night sky loomed overhead.
In the distance, perhaps thirty or forty paces away, stood a man who looked to be in his late twenties. His features were sharp but not unkind, and when his eyes met Michael's, the stranger gave him a faint smile and a nod.
Still reeling from the sudden shift, Michael blinked and nodded back almost absentmindedly.
Then he froze.
Out of the corner of his vision, another figure appeared beside him in a ripple of distortion. The newcomer's expression was one of raw confusion, mirroring the same dazed look Michael imagined was written across his own face moments earlier.
Michael's eyes narrowed, his body tensing as he looked around more carefully this time.
