Inside his apartment within the academic complex—
Robin slowly opened his eyes. A faint glimmer of awareness returned to him as he blinked once… then twice.
Without uttering a word, he tilted his head gently to the right, then to the left, releasing a subtle crack from his neck.
A few breaths passed before he finally stood up, his movements slow and deliberate, like someone reuniting with his own body after years apart.
He began stretching lightly—rotating his shoulders, flexing his arms, adjusting to the weight of gravity.
It had been nearly five full years—years in which he spent almost every moment immersed in the Soul Society, partially disconnected from his physical form.
Ironically, he had once been the one to warn the spiky-haired kid about the dangers of prolonged separation from the body.
But then he had entered that strange chamber…
That unnatural room…
