Atlas still stood frozen, confusion rippling through him like a storm. His small hands shook as he gripped his mother's arm, giving it a gentle shake in an attempt to wake her.
"Mother?... Mother..." he called out softly, his voice trembling with desperation.
[Notification]
A sudden jolt surged through Atlas's senses, and the familiar buzz of his system roared back to life. For a fleeting moment, he had feared it was gone forever—lost within the labyrinthine illusion—but no. It had simply paused after revealing Bela's secrets, only to return now that she lay unconscious before him.
'Did she...?' Atlas questioned silently, his thoughts spiraling into chaos. "Mothe—"
Before he could finish, the world around him warped violently, ripping him from the throne room and depositing him unceremoniously onto soft grass. Blinking against the sudden brightness, Atlas scrambled to his feet, brushing dirt from his palms.
