With a deafening bang, a transparent door made of biological material was knocked off its hinges from within.
The thin chitin membrane shattered into several pieces and fell onto the black floor, a little clear mucus seeping from its edges.
Renato sat bolt upright, gasping for breath like a drowning man.
He raised his left hand to his forehead, pressing his knuckles against his temple as he tried to calm his chaotic thoughts.
So it was a dream?
His mind was a blur. That scarlet flesh, those writhing bone spurs, and the warm embrace that had enveloped him still seemed to linger against his skin, so real that it sent a chill through him.
Only after he recovered a little did Renato's eyes gradually focus on his current surroundings.
He had no time to dwell on what had happened in the dream. The surroundings before him were more tangible than those dreamlike visions, and far more pressing.
Renato realized he was inside a biological pod made of black chitin. Its inner walls were lined with fleshy padding that conformed to his body, gently writhing to massage him and prevent complications caused by prolonged dormancy.
Apart from the Silent Lady, still firmly gripped in his right hand, he was completely naked, his skin slick and damp. A red, blood-vessel-like tube was attached to his left arm, its other end disappearing into a hole in the pod wall. It seemed to be continuously supplying some kind of nutrients.
Disgusting. Renato frowned and casually pulled the soft needle from his vein. It left a small red dot that quickly healed over.
He rose from the pod, stepped barefoot onto the cold floor, and surveyed his surroundings.
The room was small, its four walls made of the same black chitin, with honeycomb structures covering