•••
Caius didn't return to his body.
He was still in the mental space Athenodora had pulled him into. She just no longer had control of what was happening. Something—an existence far more powerful and far more connected to Caius than she was—had ripped the control away from her.
At first, Caius was confused. He looked around at the deep, incomprehensible darkness, wondering what was happening, when he felt eyes on him. From that darkness, something—someone—was watching him.
He took a deep breath to calm himself. His instincts were immediately struck by reverence, but he kept that at bay. He couldn't afford to crumble now.
"So what?" He asked those eyes he could not see but could sense,
"Did you bring me here just to stare?"
Silence…
"Seems a bit rude actually," Caius said in jest and laughed a little. He was surprised the sound came out so easily because he was working so hard not to succumb to the fear that was creeping up on him.
