Leonar opened his eyes, but he couldn't see anything. No light, no shadows, no shapes—just an unfathomable void stretching endlessly in every direction.
He tried to move, but his body wouldn't respond. There was no weight, no muscle tension, not even the sense of having a body at all. It felt like he was floating in a sea of absolute nothingness.
For a moment, panic threatened to take hold, but he forced it down. He'd already faced enough bizarre situations since Eleonora came into his life. This was undoubtedly another one of her doing.
'Where the hell am I?' he thought, but his inner voice found no echo.It was as if his thoughts were being absorbed by the environment.
Leonar decided to stay calm and experiment. He imagined sitting down—an instinctive act—and, to his surprise, something akin to a surface supported him. It wasn't firm or soft, just an abstract sensation that emulated sitting.It left him bewildered.
"What kind of place is this?" he muttered, though there was no sound.
He tried to use his abilities, but nothing happened. No flashes of light, no change in the surroundings. He even attempted to click his tongue in frustration, but he couldn't. The urge to do it, however, was vivid and real.
'This is weird,' Leonar thought, staring at the infinite darkness surrounding him.
'I just hope Eleonora can figure out how to get us out of this damn place.'
Suddenly, memories of Eleonora flooded his mind: how she could drain water from a tunnel in an instant, shape ice with surgical precision, and handle everything with confidence and strength.An idea began to form in his head.
If she could do all that on her own, why not let her handle all the hard work?
"It's the easiest and safest option for me," Leonar reasoned aloud.But then, the image of his left arm, bruised and nearly useless, flashed in his mind. He couldn't ignore the physical toll his body endured after each one of Eleonora's feats.
'Yeah, maybe not the best idea unless I want to end up crippled for life...'
Leonar sighed—or at least it felt like he did—and thought,
'I wish there was something comfy to lie on while I think about this.'
To his surprise, the sensation of something soft and warm appeared beneath him, like an invisible mattress.
'What the...?' he thought but quickly settled in.Sure, it was strange, but also strangely comforting.
'Well, if this place can do that, maybe it can give me a drink too.'
An instant later, the cold, familiar feel of a can was in his hand. He brought it to his mouth, and though he still couldn't see anything, the taste of his favorite drink filled his palate.
"This is amazing," Leonar said, savoring the moment.
'Now I just need something to eat. Maybe some chips.'
And there they were. A crinkly bag appeared in his other hand. The act of opening the bag and popping a chip into his mouth felt as real as it would in the physical world.
While munching, he pondered. This place, whatever it was, seemed to respond to his desires.
'It's like a genie in a bottle, but without the genie.'
A more ambitious idea popped into his mind.
'How about giving me a console with my favorite game?'
But this time, nothing happened.
Leonar frowned.'What a crappy place.'
He decided to lower the bar.
'How about some playing cards? And maybe a well-lit room with comfy chairs and a chill vibe?'
At first, nothing. Then, after a few seconds, he blinked.
When he opened his eyes, he was in a small wooden room. The walls were a warm brown with decorative details that gave the space a rustic yet cozy feel. A simple chandelier with candles provided soft but adequate light.In front of him was a polished wooden table, and he was seated on a plush red leather sofa.
Leonar smiled.
"Now this is more my style."
A deck of cards appeared before him. He reached out and confirmed they were real—or at least as real as this strange space allowed.As he shuffled the deck, an idea crossed his mind.
"This would be more fun with some company. How about a cute girl to play with me?"
Before him appeared a young woman with short white hair and glowing red eyes. She wore a sleek black suit that hugged her figure and revealed just a hint of her chest.
Leonar couldn't help but glance at her chest for a moment before regaining his composure."Alright, miss, let's play blackjack," he said with a confident smile. "Loser does whatever the winner says."
The young woman tilted her head slightly, her neutral expression silently accepting the challenge.
They began to play, and Leonar quickly gained the upper hand.'Perfect... now if I just use this little trick...'
Just as Leonar was about to win, he blinked.
A sharp pain brought him back to reality.
The cozy room was gone, replaced by the rocky outdoors. The air was cold and damp, and his body felt as if it had been hit by a freight train.
"We made it!" Damian shouted behind him, while the other three men celebrated their narrow escape. Rita, meanwhile, stared blankly at their surroundings, as if still processing that they were alive.
Leonar, still recovering from the transition, closed his eyes and murmured in his mind:
'Couldn't you wait five damn minutes, Eleonora?'