Beep—

As Kalstein focused on the cryptic text from the book, a sharp ringing filled his ears, and his head began to spin.

Unable to endure the sensation, he closed the book and took a moment to calm himself.

A nagging question arose.

“Is this reality?”

It was a natural doubt.

Could it all be a dream?

The idea of transferring a body he’d crafted within his mental construct into reality was absurd enough. Adding to that, the notion that his impenetrable mental barriers had been breached by a platinum force was equally hard to accept.

Was it because his …