Chapter 206: Red Canvas
"It is hard to explain, because you live life on the third-dimensional plane," he said. "When you cross over into the fourth dimension, everything changes. Not just your position—your concept of identity, of permanence, of time."
The crimson mist stirred at his feet. The spires trembled, low and steady.
"But then things become even more problematic on another scale," he continued. "The value of life... dwindles. Often."
He paused, his gaze tightening, the red veins beneath his skin glowing a shade brighter.
"I don’t know what lies beyond the fourth dimension," he said. "That’s a door I haven’t reached. But it is... pleasant, I’ll admit, to speak with someone beneath me."
His expression shifted—no mockery, no pride. Just a subtle change in weight behind his voice.
"I don’t mean that negatively. I should add that."
Elias’s glow flickered, his voice faint but steady, cutting through the hum of the spires.
"None taken... I think?" he said, the words a whisper, a thread of uncertainty in the void, his glow pulsing with the effort. The ache of Kikaru’s absence, of Dot’s capture, pressed deeper into his form—still there, still anchoring him.
The godless crucifix stepped closer, the crimson mist curling around his boots, the spires trembling with each movement. Their whispers grew louder, layered voices rising in fractured harmony—a chorus of trapped souls, each pleading for something none of them could name.
"I don’t quite understand some things... if I have time to ask?" Elias asked.