Before long, Grey sensed the presence of another spirit node. He didn't hesitate, his hand tightened, and he forcefully struck it. The node burst open with a dull boom, flooding instantly with spirit energy and becoming yet another spirit perforation.
Then the world… went silent.
It wasn't normal silence. It was as if the entire world suddenly exhaled and froze. Grey's heart lurched in his chest, and before he could even question what was happening, his vision blurred, first dimming, then stretching, then collapsing in on itself like rippling water.
When clarity finally returned, Grey realized he wasn't in his body anymore.
He wasn't meditating and sensing his spirit perforations. He wasn't breaking through.
He was standing in the middle of a wide, sunlit grassland, the scent of fresh earth and warm breeze brushing against his skin. He looked down and froze. His clothes were different, simple, dark, almost childish, and his hands… were smaller.
He wasn't sixteen.
