I woke up to the smell of pine and smoke.
Not the acrid, digital smoke of burning polygons or fake embers looping on a particle effect, no, this was wood, real wood, or at least, the VR-chemical simulation that my brain swore was real wood because the pod knew exactly which sensory memories to hijack.
Somewhere behind that, the faint, earthy tang of moss, and the damp air of a forest that actually felt alive. The oppressive weight from before was gone. No more stuttering trees, no broken marionette limbs scratching the edges of my vision. No Null Shepherd.
For the first two seconds, my chest wanted to believe it was over. Then my eyes found Hailie.
