Leon remained seated, unmoving, his consciousness still anchored deep within the space of his origin core.
Outside, Zion breathed again. Inside, something was wrong.
The moment the final link had stabilized, the instant every divine stage expert had been successfully connected, Leon should have withdrawn. He had done this before. With Elizabeth, the process had demanded focus, restraint, constant correction.
This time, though, the flow had been effortless. Too effortless.
Now he stood within the core's inner space, unable to leave.
The darkness around him pressed closer than before, though it never touched the core itself. The origin core hovered ahead, radiant and steady, its light carving out a hollow sanctuary in the void.
Leon turned slowly, scanning the space as if the answer might be hiding between the shadows.
"What in the world is happening?"
His voice echoed faintly, swallowed by the vast emptiness.
