Darkness.
Absolute, consuming darkness that swallowed thought and memory alike. Lucien floated in the void between dimensions, weightless and formless, his consciousness scattered like ash on cosmic winds. His senses had been torn apart by forces beyond mortal comprehension, his connection to the system severed so completely that he couldn't even remember what power had once felt like coursing through his veins.
The silence was deafening. No heartbeat thundering in his chest. No blood singing with unholy vigor. No whispered promises of dominion from the abyss. Just... nothing.
But somewhere in that endless nothing, he felt something.
A small, trembling warmth. Like a candle flame in an infinite cavern.
