The first thing Igaris felt was pressure. Not the crushing burden of chaos tearing at his essence, but the steady, grounding weight of existence. His eyes opened, revealing a sky unlike any he had ever seen. Vast streams of radiant symbols drifted through the heavens, glowing brighter than suns. Each symbol pulsed as though alive, shaping clouds, seas, and even mountains.
He sat upright. His body still felt whole, his veins still carrying the rhythm of law, but when he tried to summon Genesis or fold Space, nothing happened. His hand remained empty, powerless, and he felt a strange emptiness where the doorway to his inner cosmos should have been.
His heart skipped, but then, deep in his spirit, he sensed it: his wives, his generals, Celestara. All of them were safe, shielded within his inner universe. Though he could not reach them now, the tether between them remained unbroken. Relief steadied him.
