The Core swallowed me whole.
It's all-encompassing canopy knitted together above, branches weaving a near-absolute ceiling that filtered the sun into those eerie streaks of grey light. The air way heavy, damp, cloying.
And the silence...every footfall sank into the ground like a firecracker at a temple.
It was unnerving. And to add to the weight of that silence, a stubborn translucent system prompt hung in the corner of my vision, refusing to let me forget.
[Penalty Active: Attribute Seal (-15%)]
A subtle drag tugged down at each step. It was different to just being weaker, or slower. The seal felt more like chains bolting me to a wall---constantly reminding me of my imprisonment, and not allowing me to move beyond a certain limit. It was exactly that, but instead of being prevented from moving beyond a certain distance, I was being prevented from using my full strength, speed, mana, and stamina.
They were all still there, but...inaccessible.