[he lets out a breathless noise, something that almost sounds like a laugh]

It is metaphorical. Sort of.

[SORT OF]

Where I come from, there's a world that runs parallel to our own. We call that world the "Metaverse," and it's built from the cognitions and perceptions of society at large.

[he stops there to let her absorb that information, because it's the basis for everything he is about to say next]