Everyone—every single Aether in the room—looked at bloody words with wide, stunned eyes.
With Aether's help—his guidance, his blood, his message—they were finally starting to understand what this place was. They weren't alone anymore. They weren't trapped in isolated loops.
They were connected... They were him.
52 Aether stood in the centre of the room, eyes narrowed with uncertainty. He wasn't entirely convinced yet. A part of him still believed this might be some twisted illusion. A cruel prank.
A layered hallucination planted by that thing—that #####, whose name he had yet to know.
He took a step back, defensively. "What if this is all fake?" he asked aloud, eyes scanning the room. "What if it's just some sick trick? Some fucked up mind trap set by the #####, meant to make me lower my guard?"
The other Aethers stood silently, watching him. They understood the doubt. They had all felt it.
