(Time-Stilled World, Perimeter of Castle Bravo, Leo's POV)
Leo had never experienced the pressure that the soul of a god exerted on its surroundings—at least not until he began to approach the blackened walls of Castle Bravo, and felt, for the first time, the world itself beginning to reject his presence.
It started gradually, like a shifting weight pressing against his skin, but the deeper he moved into the tainted zone surrounding the castle, the more the air thickened, growing heavier with every breath, as though each lungful he inhaled was being filtered through liquid stone before reaching his bloodstream.
'It's truly suffocating,' Leo thought, as he slowed his pace, his eyes narrowing in quiet caution.
Because the closer he drew to Castle Bravo, the more he realized that breathing was no longer a reflex, but rather a burden that needed conscious effort from his mind to be sustained.
