For a moment, Lane thought he must have accidentally crossed through a Gate. Or maybe that something went wrong, and he didn't wake up in his body right away like he should. Or maybe that he was hallucinating, either now or before, when he had been fighting - or at least believed to do so - right by his apartment building.
Because what other explanation could there be? In the short few minutes he was gone, the scenery completely transformed into a sea of ice!
Lane blinked a few times, getting over his initial shock, and stepped outside, instantly getting chills. It was still winter, so the air temperature wasn't high to begin with, and with all this ice, it dropped even lower. Although as a high-ranking Esper, Lane could endure both high and low temperatures much better than civilians, he didn't have any ice resistance. Going out into the cold in thin clothes, he got goosebumps all over.
