Naught to Null

Nullis was breathing rapidly, as if the very air around him had thickened, strangling him little by little. His heartbeat quickened with each passing second, and every sensation in his body screamed that the freedom he had begun to taste would soon come to an end. There was something suffocating in the air, a heavy feeling, as if the past had returned to shackle him once more.

Would he be imprisoned again?

Endless loops of thought spiraled in his mind—flashes of darkness, isolation, and the void that had defined his entire existence. Prison was not merely walls; it was an idea deeply rooted within him—an idea that he would never truly be free.

Then, suddenly, amidst the whirlwind of his thoughts, his body trembled at the sound. But it didn't come from outside... it was inside his mind.

"Help me..."

The words formed slowly, as if they were being gathered from the shadows of his own thoughts.

"Help me... let me out of here, and I will help you."

The words were not human, yet they were not entirely unfamiliar. There was something recognizable about them—something he could not understand. It was as if the voice was echoing a part of his being that he had never realized existed. His pulse quickened, and his eyes scanned the surroundings, searching for the source of the call.

The corridors connecting the rooms stretched before him like a labyrinth, each room containing a trapped entity or artifact.

A hat floating on its own.

A being surrounded by countless arms.

Clothes wearing other clothes.

A sheep with spider-like legs...

And then he saw something that should not have been there.

A creature resembling a dog... but not an ordinary dog.

The image became clearer in his mind. A creature like a dog, yet not one of this world. It belonged to a strange species known as the Tindalos Hounds. A massive entity of incomprehensible dimensions stared at Nullis from afar. It was trapped within a circular metallic structure—rings that extended in all directions, forming a spherical cage. There were no angles, only a closed circle made of a silver-like metal.

Its very form belonged to another realm, an existence distorted from logic. Nullus realized he wasn't just looking at a simple cage; this was calculated architecture—designed to confine it within a specific dimension with no escape.

"Are you trapped?" Nullis asked softly, unsure if he was speaking to the creature or himself.

"Yes... I need your help... Open this cage for me, and I will aid you in return."

The words wavered in his mind like whispers, yet they were clear enough. In that moment, Nullis understood that this being did not belong directly to his world but rather to another plane of existence.

He hesitated for a moment, but the idea of not being alone in this facility made the decision easier.

"How can I help you?" Nullis whispered, trying to think quickly. If this was a real opportunity to escape, then perhaps this creature was the key.

"Use your imprint... Open the door."

Nullis looked at the door, then at his hand. This body he had taken possession of carried the literal key to entry and exit. He placed his hand on the cold metal surface and summoned his ability. Invisible waves pulsed through him, like electric currents emanating from his very cells. Moments passed, and the cage began to open slowly.

"Now... place your hand inside the cage."

He hesitated for a moment, but something inside him compelled him to obey. When he did, black mist seeped between his fingers, as if something had been waiting for this exact moment to be freed. The dog—or what appeared to be a dog—crawled out, surrounded by a shifting aura of darkness.

"You are free now," Nullis murmured, trying to keep his composure despite his racing heart.

As the creature was released, it was as if the air in the facility changed. A balance Nullis hadn't even noticed had been broken. Then, he heard the guards. Their footsteps were approaching rapidly, weapons being readied, alarms blaring through the halls.

But the hound did not move. Instead, it lifted its head and spoke without sound:

"Move to the corner of the room."

Its words were not a suggestion—they were a command.

Nullus' mind stopped thinking. No time for hesitation. He moved swiftly to the corner the creature indicated, the mist swirling around him like a cloak of living shadows. Suddenly, he felt something pulling him from within—as if his body was being compressed and stretched at the same time.

Then... there was no light.

Angular Space-Time

He opened his eyes to an impossible sight. He was no longer in a room, nor in a corridor... but in a space that defied perception itself.

The angles around him were unnatural. They were neither straight nor curved, but something else entirely—as if they had been broken and reassembled incorrectly. Geometric shapes overlapped, distorted, then faded into nothingness. The walls—if they could even be called that—were not static but shifted as if breathing.

What lay before him defied all logic. He was in neither a room nor a hallway but in a void that did not conform to the laws of this world. Everything around him seemed sculpted from impossible angles—angles greater than 180 degrees yet never truly straight. He floated in this space, surrounded by angles from every direction, while geometric patterns intertwined and vanished as if Euclidean geometry had been ripped apart and reconstructed incorrectly.

There was no ground, yet he was not falling. There was no ceiling, yet he felt an immense weight pressing down on him. The space was filled with endless contradictions, as if the very principles of geometry had shattered here.

"This is Angular Time."

Iggy's voice was clearer, stronger, as if his presence here granted him a greater existence than ever before.

Nullis attempted to move, but he felt his body no longer belonged to a single form. When he took a step, he was unsure where he ended and where he began.

"What is this place? Where are you...?" he muttered, uncertain if the words had left his mouth or if they were merely thoughts.

There was no solid ground beneath him, yet he was not falling. There was no ceiling, yet he did not feel empty space above him. This place... was an impossible existence.

Suddenly, Iggy's voice emerged from the void, more tangible than before, as if being in this dimension granted him strength he lacked in the other world.

"This is Angular Time," he said, offering no further explanation.

"And now..."

The voice moved closer. It was no longer the same entity Nullis had met in the facility. Here, in this realm, it was different. It was... more real.

And when it spoke, its tone was no longer friendly.

"Now... tell me, who are you really?"

Its words were more than just a question—they were a warning.

Nullis felt the very air around him grow thick, as if the entire space was waiting for his answer.