"...A space?"

Thomas slowly surveyed his surroundings, trying to process what Suzy had just said.

So he was inside her space now?

His shock was understandable. Everything before him defied logic. It was more unbelievable than anything he’d ever seen in a movie.

How could someone simply appear in an entirely different world in the blink of an eye? Even the most elaborate magic trick couldn’t compare to this.

"Thomas, the basic situation is actually pretty simple..."

Leonard stepped in and gave a brief explanation, summarizing everything Suzy had previously told him.

Thomas absorbed the information surprisingly quickly. Within minutes, he had already accepted the impossible reality.

"Do you understand now?" Leonard asked.

Thomas nodded.

"I do."

A satisfied smile spread across Leonard’s face. He patted Thomas firmly on the shoulder.

"Good. That’s what I like to hear." His expression grew serious. "You should know that Suzy only brought you here because she considers you one of her own. She trusts you. Don’t ever let her down."

Then he glanced at Suzy.

"Right, Suzy?"

Caught off guard, Suzy blinked.

"Huh?" She then quickly nodded. "Yeah."

Something flickered in Thomas’s eyes.

The simple acknowledgment moved him far more than he wanted to admit.

No confession could have sounded sweeter than those three words.

One of her own.

The fact that Suzy had revealed her greatest secret to him meant she trusted him completely. She accepted him. She believed in him.

Warmth spread through his chest.

She cared about him. More importantly, she had brought only him here.

Not Derek. Just him.

And what did that mean? It meant his place in Suzy’s heart was more important.

Thomas fought to suppress the surge of happiness threatening to show on his face.

Straightening immediately, he said with complete sincerity, "Suzy, whatever you need, just tell me. I’ll do it."

"There is something I need your help with."

Suzy pointed toward the distant boundary and explained the situation surrounding the stone pathway and the invisible barrier.

When she finished, she asked, "Understand?"

"Yes."

Leonard cracked his knuckles eagerly.

"It’s actually very simple. Here, let me demonstrate." 𝓯𝙧𝙚𝒆𝙬𝙚𝒃𝙣𝙤𝒗𝓮𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Without waiting for permission, he took off running.

Part of him also wanted to confirm whether the mysterious sounds he had heard earlier were real or merely his imagination.

Unfortunately, things did not go as planned.

The moment he approached the boundary, a violent wave of dizziness crashed into him.

The world spun. His strength drained away instantly.

Darkness swallowed him whole, squeezing the air from his lungs. His head rang painfully, making it impossible to focus on anything else.

Whether there had truly been voices beyond the barrier, he couldn’t tell anymore.

"Uncle! Are you okay?"

Suzy and Thomas’s voices sounded beside him at the same time.

Leonard blinked and found himself sitting on the ground.

The two of them were staring down at him with obvious concern.

Rubbing his throbbing temples, he grimaced.

"I don’t know what happened. My head suddenly felt like it was splitting apart."

"Uncle, don’t go near the boundary again."

Suzy studied his pale face with concern.

Leonard forced a grin.

"Yeah. I got the message."

The first attempt had been harmless. The second had nearly knocked him flat. He could clearly feel the warning hidden within the boundary’s power.

A third attempt probably wouldn’t be so forgiving.

Three strikes were enough. Leonard had no intention of pushing his luck further.

"Suzy, same goes for you." He pointed at her. "If I can’t approach it, you probably shouldn’t either."

After all, she had already tested it once herself.

That left only one candidate.

Thomas.

"Thomas, you saw what I just did, right?" Leonard asked.

Thomas gave an awkward smile. "No."

Leonard stared. "What do you mean no?"

"I was watching Suzy."

Leonard nearly choked.

While he’d been risking his life conducting scientific experiments, Thomas had been staring at Suzy the entire time.

The man’s demonstration had lasted all of three seconds before ending with him sprawled on the ground.

Naturally, Thomas hadn’t noticed a thing.

Leonard rubbed his forehead.

"Fine. Just go try it yourself."

Under their watchful eyes, Thomas began walking toward the stone path.

Soon he felt it... The invisible force. Powerful and ancient, yet strangely restrained.

It wasn’t attacking him. It was merely preventing him from crossing.

One step.

Two steps.

Three.

The blue-gray stone slabs lay just ahead, close enough to touch.

As his foot approached the first stone, the resistance intensified dramatically.

Thomas gritted his teeth and pushed forward.

For a brief moment, it felt as though he might break through.

Then the ground vanished beneath him. The next instant he found himself standing right back beside Suzy and Leonard.

His expression was dazed.

"Did you hear anything?" Leonard asked immediately.

Thomas frowned and carefully replayed the experience in his mind.

After several seconds, he shook his head.

"No."

"Nothing?"

"Nothing."

He was completely certain. There had been no voices. No sounds.

Only the immense pressure of the barrier.

Leonard’s expression became increasingly troubled. Now he was beginning to question his own sanity.

Had the problem been him all along? Were the voices merely auditory hallucinations?

His gaze drifted toward the distant gateway.

Even now, he could vaguely remember the bustling noises and indistinct calls echoing from beyond.

It felt so real.

Yet neither Suzy nor Thomas had heard a thing.

"Uncle." Suzy patted his shoulder. "Don’t overthink it."

She looked toward the hidden region beyond the barrier.

"We’ll find out after the space upgrades again."

No matter how much they speculated, it would change nothing.

The area remained inaccessible.

Once the next upgrade unlocked it, all the answers would reveal themselves naturally.

Leonard finally let the matter go.

His moods came and went quickly. Before long, his attention shifted elsewhere.

"By the way, this is Thomas’s first time here."

He grinned. "Shouldn’t we show him around?"

Suzy laughed and nodded.

"Of course."

A faint sparkle appeared in Thomas’s eyes.

Without thinking, he reached over and took Suzy’s hand.

The three of them spent the next while exploring the expanded space together.

Leonard proudly acted as tour guide.

Along the way, he even shared some of the fruit he had stuffed into his pockets earlier.

At one point, he deliberately called for Kitty, hoping the talking cat would finally startle Thomas.

Unfortunately for him, the plan failed.

Thomas studied the small white cat for a moment before calmly commenting,

"Pretty cute."

Leonard felt a deep sense of defeat.

A cat was literally speaking human language. How was that not disturbing?

After spending hours exploring, the trio finally left the space.

They had been inside for what felt like a very long time.

Leonard assumed night had already fallen outside, but when he walked to the window, he froze.

Daylight still illuminated the world.

Stunned, he turned to the wall clock. Only a short amount of real-world time had passed.

"Suzy..."

He pointed at the clock.

"Does time move differently inside your space?"

"It does." Suzy nodded. "Time outside passes much more slowly."

Leonard immediately raised a thumb.

"This place is incredible."

Then his attention shifted to the paused game still displayed on the television.

Without hesitation, he grabbed Thomas and dropped back onto the couch.

"Come on." He handed over a controller. "We’re finishing that match."

And just like that, the two men resumed their game.