Valentine took a few steps back, trying to make sense of the situation.
To him, it had only been moments since he sacrificed himself and created the dome.
But now… now it seemed more than three centuries had passed.
"The rules!" he suddenly realized, his eyes widening. "Yes! That's it!"
Before he had sacrificed himself, he had crafted the rules of the trial. During the planning, he had chosen for the trial to begin only when thirty participants were present.
That had to be the cause.
It made sense now, why only Malakai felt different from the others. He was from another time.
A different era.
"So the trial had waited… waited for nearly four centuries for enough participants to gather before it could begin."
"Are you done?"
The voice cut cleanly through his thoughts.
Valentine blinked and turned. Malakai was approaching, his eyes calm and sharp.
"I'd like to ask some questions of my own."
