Chapter 19 - 18: The Theater of Fate
Blinding white.
Franz’s eyes snapped open, the sheer brightness stabbing into his skull like needles. The floor beneath him was cold, smooth, and eerily clean — the kind of sterile emptiness that made it impossible to tell where the ground ended and the walls began. If there even were walls. Everything stretched into infinity, white on white.
He sat up, running a hand through his damp hair, memories of the lake and Victoria’s trembling smile still fresh in his mind.
"Where the fuck... am I?"
[Welcome to the Projection Space, Host.]The voice of Quiet Life System rang in his head, calm as ever.
Franz stood up, flexing his fingers, testing his body. No pain, no weakness — it felt like he’d just woken from a deep sleep. "Would’ve been nice if someone warned me before shutting me down."
<The process was efficient. Efficiency does not require consent.> Arcadia chimed in, its tone smooth, almost smug.
"Figures," Franz muttered. "So, what now?"
Without waiting for a reply, he snapped his fingers on instinct.