Deep inside Theo.

As the young man flashes away from the empty realm, he feels like his essence is being squeezed down through a hole much to small for him. A different terror begins to rise, as he begins to fear that he will be stuck between realms, where beings whose very presence will annihilate him constantly wander. However, he forces the fear down, and recalls the words of Theo. 'Don't resist the ritual.' With those words echoing in his mind, he relaxes, and begins to slowly flow through the crushing pressure.

With a snapping sensation, as if his entire being were a recoiling rubber band, he is squeezed into the body of Theo. His new body tingles, as if it were a limb that had fallen asleep, and is has just begun to wake. His vision swims wildly, and a ringing in his ears drowns out all sounds. He tastes a strangle mix of the metallic bite of blood, and a sickening, saccharine sweetness. His nose is filled with riot of overpowering smells, with sawdust, rot, and burned flesh dominating the mixture. In a **** move to maintain his sanity, the young man retreats into his own mind, distancing himself from his senses. That distance allows him to take stock of the situation he has arrived in. Something about this place feels different from the last two realms he had been in, but not in a way that he could explain. In the brief moment that he was experiencing the full sensory overload, a sense of profound peace had settled over him. It was as if he had finally returned home after a long, arduous journey.

With a feeling of shock, the young man realizes exactly why he feels that sense of peace. It is precisely because he is home, in realm that welcomes him. He has arrived in the body of Theodore Dawnwalker. He has survived the ritual exactly as he needed to. Bracing himself, he once more experiences the full sensory overload of arriving in a new body. However, after only a few agonizing moments, the riot calms, and he can finally observe his surroundings.

He has looks around the room, Theo notices a few very odd details. He is sitting in center of a ritual circle, with candles burning a sickly green flame. The circle is drawn in blood, and seems to pulse with a slow heartbeat. With a start, Theo realizes that the pulsing is perfectly in sync with his heartbeat. In front of him is a large tome, bound in aged leather, edged in bronze. Turning his gaze to the walls, he sees a pattern of writhing flames seared into the old wooden walls. Even as he watches, the flames seem to dance before him. Finally, as he raises his hands to examine them, his clothes seem to be made of woven lead. It's all he can do to lift his hands to shoulder height. The sickly green color of his skin sends a bolt of worry through him, before knowledge he didn't know he knew flashes through his mind. While it is true that he is in very poor condition, by gathering energy, and refining himself, he will surely recover.

The bursts open behind Theo, and he is nearly crushed by violent hug.