The Nexus Hub's blinding light receded, replaced by a profound, almost oppressive silence. Andrew lay for a moment, disoriented, feeling the grit of fine, dark dust against his cheek. The immediate, jarring chaos of the temporal jump faded, leaving behind an uncanny stillness. The air was heavy, thick, almost suffocating in its complete lack of movement, yet strangely ethereal.
It felt as though sound itself had dissolved, creating an unnatural quiet that made his ears ring and his own heartbeat sound like a distant, frantic drum in his chest. For the first time in what felt like an eternity, he could truly breathe, free from the Chrono-Labyrinth's constant assault.
