Rebecca felt an overwhelming force descend upon her—a foreign, suffocating weight that pressed against her soul, stifling her power with a gentleness that belied its might. It was not violent, but absolute. She tried to move, to summon her strength, but it was like trying to resist the pressure of the deep ocean.
"Who are you?" she demanded, her voice taut with confusion and alarm. The very idea of someone suppressing her so easily was absurd. Only the Universe Ender—her mentor, had ever subdued her without effort. And yet, this presence was unfamiliar. That alone chilled her to the core. In a newborn universe like hers, beings of this caliber simply weren't supposed to exist.
"Do not be frightened, child," came a serene, ethereal voice that washed over her like a gentle tide. "I mean you no harm. I simply wish for you to calm your heart... and refrain from destroying the universe."
