Chapter 46 The Unseen Realm

• As Sebastian and I passed through the glistening barrier separating our world from whatever was outside, the air changed, becoming cold and brittle. I felt completely numb, as if ice were slipping across my skin. I was unable to breathe for a while. It felt oppressive, as if I had abandoned my lungs in the world I knew.
• Sebastian’s hand wrapped around mine was a strong anchor amid the odd. He squeezed, a subtle reassurance. “Stay close, Evelyn,” he muttered, his voice strained.
• I nodded, focusing on the warmth of his palm to keep my head stable. My eyes adjusted to the faint light, revealing the twisted landscape ahead. Trees loomed like skeletal figures, their branches twisted and gnarled, swaying without breeze. The ground beneath our feet was blackened, cracked, like a charred map of a world burnt beyond recognition.