Aren woke up choking on cold air.
He was no longer in Neo-Haven.
Broken skyscrapers floated upside down in the sky. Gray mist crawled along the ground, and fragments of stone drifted as if gravity had given up.
This wasn't a dream.
Dreams didn't feel this heavy.
"So… you finally arrived."
The voice came from behind him.
Aren turned.
A girl stood there—around his age, maybe older. Long black hair moved gently despite the still air. Her eyes were the most unsettling part.
Silver.
Not reflective. Not emotional. Empty, like polished metal.
"My name is Liora," she said.
"And this place is called the Null Realm."
Aren swallowed. "Why am I here?"
Liora studied him for a long moment before answering.
"Because you are the only human capable of breaking time."
Pain exploded inside Aren's head.
Flashes burst through his vision—
A city burning in crimson flames.
His own hands drenched in blood.
And Liora—kneeling, crying, screaming his name.
Then nothing.
He staggered backward, gasping.
"I don't remember any of that," he whispered.
Liora's expression didn't change.
"That's because you chose not to."