The blinding white light swallowed everything.
For what felt like an eternity, Sage could neither see nor hear anything. His body felt weightless, as though he had been thrown into an endless void where neither gravity nor time existed.
The deafening roar of the ancient horned serpent disappeared completely, replaced by a strange silence that pressed against his ears. His grip around Lyana slowly loosened, not because he wanted to let go, but because his consciousness itself seemed to drift farther and farther away.
Even the violent wind that had surrounded his body during their desperate charge toward the Return Gate faded until there was nothing left except endless white.
Then, without warning, the silence shattered. Something icy slammed into his face, freezing water rushed into his nose and mouth, and his entire body lurched violently as he was thrown back into reality. Instinct took over before thought could catch up.
