Chapter 307: The Awakening (Maria)
The air in the Guest Spire didn't just turn cold; it became a physical weight.
Within the span of a few heartbeats, the opulent guest quartersdecorated with living white-wood and warm, bioluminescent florawere transformed into a scene from a forgotten glacial epoch.
The humidity in the room crystallized instantly, creating a shimmering fog of ice needles that hung suspended in the air.
Every breath Michael took felt like inhaling ground glass, the moisture in his throat threatening to freeze solid.
CRACK.
The sound was singular and deafening. It wasn't the groan of wood under pressure, but the sound of structural molecules failing. Michael and Leon rushed toward the infirmary car, their boots skidding on a floor that was now coated in a treacherous, glass-smooth layer of rime.
