The place where Vahn arrived had no sky.
It had no ground either.
There was no sense of up or down, no horizon to orient oneself against. Space existed, but it was not empty. It felt layered, as if reality had been folded many times and left slightly misaligned. Light came from nowhere and everywhere at once, soft and even, casting no shadows.
This was not a location. It was an agreement.
Vahn stood alone.
He had not traveled here by corridor, fold, or authority. One moment he had been within the sealed chamber beneath the Imperial Spire, breath steady, Void quiet, thoughts aligned. The next, he simply was here.
No resistance.
No transition sickness.
No sense of arrival.
That alone told him how absolute this place was.
"So this is where you all speak freely," Vahn said calmly.
His voice carried without echo.
Without amplification.
Without challenge.
A ripple moved through the layered space ahead of him.
Then one figure appeared.
Not emerging.
Resolving.
