[VOLUME 14: THE SHATTERED HEAVENS][ARC 4: THE HEAVENLY COURT & THE CONVERGENCE]
To step from the Abyss into the Heavenly Expanse was to be violently blinded.
The portal of woven shadows collapsed behind them, cutting off the heavy, comforting scent of ozone and black orchids. Instantly, Elara was hit by a wall of crystalline, freezing perfection. The air here didn't move; it hummed. It smelled of sterile white lilies and burning gold, so pure that it practically scraped the back of her throat.
"Close your eyes for a moment, xin'er," Li murmured, his hand coming to rest on the small of her back. His voice had already changed. The raw, desperate edge it held in the underworld was gone, replaced by a smooth, resonant cadence that commanded absolute obedience.
Elara blinked against the glaring light, her vision slowly adjusting.
When she finally opened her eyes, the breath left her lungs.
