Michael pulled on that subtle thread.
A beat later, his eyes opened.
Michael was inside a capsule. Through the translucent glass, he could see the familiar interior of his room in Aurora.
This part wasn't surprising.
Whenever he returned from the Land of Origin, this was always the result—his mind leaving one body, entering the other. A switch, one consciousness at a time.
But this time…
This time was different.
Michael froze, breath catching.
Because layered over the familiar Aurora view—like a reflection on water—was a second scene.
He recognized it immediately.
The Land of Origin.
His study room in his Manor in Thornvale.
Michael blinked.
Both visions stayed.
One part of him sat in Aurora, sealed inside a capsule.
The other part in Aurora standing still.
This was real-time.
He was seeing both.
And he could feel both.
His hand in Aurora flexed against the capsule's cushioned interior.