The sensation of stepping through the Portal wasn't pleasant at all.
It felt like plunging into a frozen lake, the cold biting at my skin as an overwhelming pressure squeezed my chest.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, it was over.
I stumbled out the other side, landing on uneven ground.
Around me was a dense forest.
Only the trees weren't green and brown — they were black as night and the leaves were crimson like fresh blood.
Except for the red of those leaves, the whole world around me was monochromatic. The sky was gray and the sun was… the sun was black?
Oh, I never noticed this detail in the game.
Anyway, everything around me was in the shade of black and white.
It didn't help that I was wearing the standard Academy-issued tactical uniform — black trousers and a sleeveless white vest under a dark combat jacket.
So even I looked black and white.
