Vale felt himself drifting through an endless void of darkness.
He had no physical form. Only his soul lingered, suspended in the black abyss. The darkness wasn't just around him—it was alive, constantly shifting, expanding and folding in on itself like a breathing entity. Time felt like it had lost all meaning here. This descent felt longer, far longer than any he'd experienced before.
Then, a chill crept in.
A shiver raced down what remained of his spine, followed by an overwhelming wave of cold that pierced deeper than flesh. It felt ancient, otherworldly.
And then, faintly, his senses began to stir.
A tingling sensation spread across the remnants of his essence. Sounds—distant and muffled—echoed at the edge of his awareness. The taste of iron. The scent of earth. The weight of gravity.
With a sharp gasp, Vale's eyes snapped open.
