"Host, what are you doing?" the System whispered, its digital voice laced with static as the crushing spiritual pressure of the room bore down on them both.
"Shut up," Heena commanded softly through gritted teeth.
Ignoring the agonizing throb in her temple, Heena pressed her hands to the polished floorboards and delivered a slow, perfectly executed, formal bow of absolute respect to the ancestral tablets.
For a terrifying moment, the heavy air in the hall seemed to stagnate, vibrating with a lethal, rejecting energy. Then, a faint, silvery light shimmered across the altar. The suffocating, battering pressure suddenly broke, receding like a retreating tide, replaced by a profound, heavy warmth.
