Lucian felt the chamber before he saw it.
The grey had grown brittle around him, cracking like old ice under too much weight. Every step he took sent new fractures spiderwebbing outward, gold light bleeding through the nothing. The dimension fought harder the closer he got, throwing shadows and liquid horrors that dissolved the moment they touched him. He didn't fight back with fury or grand displays. He simply refused to be slowed.
The pull was stronger now. Steady. Certain. Like a compass needle finding true north after years of spinning.
He walked through the final barrier without pausing. The grey parted like curtains, revealing the prison beyond.
