Liang Wei's body ached as he drifted back to consciousness. His limbs felt heavy, as though he had run for miles in a relentless storm. The pain from the ritual still throbbed in his chest, but it had dulled, fading into a background hum. His surroundings were quiet, too quiet, and it took him a moment to register the change. The cold, oppressive weight of the Abyss had lifted, replaced by a soft warmth that enveloped him like a blanket.
Wei opened his eyes slowly. He wasn't in the Abyss anymore. The swirling shadows, the twisted figures, the bone-chilling cold—they were all gone. Instead, he found himself lying on a stone floor, the rough texture of the ground beneath him unfamiliar. Above, a ceiling of smooth black stone stretched endlessly, the light from the outside world muted and distant. Where was he? He wondered.
