Carlisle's run to the town is stopped abruptly by an unseen force, knocking the air from him -- though he feels something catch him around his middle, there's nothing to be seen when he looks down, no explanation provided within the world of the mask. But something definitely did catch him: there's pressure against his waist, along with the distinct sensation that his feet aren't quite on the ground anymore, where they should be. Despite wanting to attribute that lighter-than-air feeling to the relief provided by his recognition of the town, Carlisle knows better than that. The town is an illusion of some sort, after all -- a hallucination, albeit a familiar one. He's still in the real world, even though he can't see it and senses are telling him otherwise.
And that's why it's jarring to have said senses contradicting one another so suddenly. Algidus' voice booms in his ears a moment later, far louder than before -- still distorted, but booming nonetheless. Though his initial reaction is to protest, Carlisle does as he's told: he reaches to the sides of his face, and after a second or two of concentrated searching, manages to feel the edges of the mask. He grits his teeth and braces himself for the pain that comes with the removal, and as he pries the mask from his face, he reaches beneath it to grab his glasses so they don't fall off in the process.
It's a good thing he does, too. While he braced himself for that awful feeling of tearing off his own skin, he absolutely wasn't ready for the sight that greets him on the other side.
It's no wonder he couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet, given he's hanging over the edge of a cliff. And that invisible force holding him back from reaching the town? Algidus' arm, keeping him from plummeting to his death. He hangs onto his glasses with one hand, the other dropping the mask in favor of clinging tighter to the one thing keeping him from a terrible end. The mask spins and turns as it falls along the cliff's face, vanishing into the mist far below.
"Pull me up!" Carlisle yelps in a panic, hanging on for his life, his entire body stiffening. "Pull me up pull me up pull me up pull me up!"
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And that's why it's jarring to have said senses contradicting one another so suddenly. Algidus' voice booms in his ears a moment later, far louder than before -- still distorted, but booming nonetheless. Though his initial reaction is to protest, Carlisle does as he's told: he reaches to the sides of his face, and after a second or two of concentrated searching, manages to feel the edges of the mask. He grits his teeth and braces himself for the pain that comes with the removal, and as he pries the mask from his face, he reaches beneath it to grab his glasses so they don't fall off in the process.
It's a good thing he does, too. While he braced himself for that awful feeling of tearing off his own skin, he absolutely wasn't ready for the sight that greets him on the other side.
It's no wonder he couldn't feel the ground beneath his feet, given he's hanging over the edge of a cliff. And that invisible force holding him back from reaching the town? Algidus' arm, keeping him from plummeting to his death. He hangs onto his glasses with one hand, the other dropping the mask in favor of clinging tighter to the one thing keeping him from a terrible end. The mask spins and turns as it falls along the cliff's face, vanishing into the mist far below.
"Pull me up!" Carlisle yelps in a panic, hanging on for his life, his entire body stiffening. "Pull me up pull me up pull me up pull me up!"