A Man's Grin

"Woaaah..."

The first thing Malik noticed was the force of the drop.

Aether and wind were pushing against him, shoving him downward.

The second thing was the absolute silence, like the darkness above the first layer.

It was sudden, eerie, and it wouldn't be so far from the truth to say that he had just been swallowed by the world itself.

No wind. No shouts. No worms. No thoughts. Just a void.

And then—

Gravity came into play.

It took him, yanking him down and plummeting him further into the darkness.

His stomach flipped, his body twisting uncontrollably. He reached for anything, but there was nothing to grab, nothing to slow his descent.

All that was left was the sensation of endless falling.

And to make things worse, time itself became distorted... elusive.

He hadn't counted at the start, and now? He was screwed.

Minutes? Hours? Days? Who the Hell knew?