The mist swallowed them a hundred meters below the rim.
It wasn't ordinary mist. John felt it the moment Pymon's wings cut through the first layer, a density in the air that pressed against his Soul Palace like deep water, thick with energy so rich it almost had a taste. Beside him, Yuna inhaled sharply.
"It's like breathing soup," she said. "Really, really expensive soup."
"Ambient saturation," Azelis murmured, eyes half-closed as she sampled the flow. "Just standing here is worth more than a week of enlightenment outside. No wonder things evolve wild in this place."
Pymon descended in slow spirals, and the Expanse revealed itself in layers.
