“Finally!” he yelled as he pushed through the last spinning wall of wind and broke into the calm center. The Hiskar. 

Immediately he entered the space, it felt like he’d stepped foot in another world. Outwardly there wasn’t anything special about the place. The ground was a pale yellow, so smooth and glossy that he could see his reflection in it. There were no markings or indication that this was a particularity unique piece of land, but it was obvious that this was the point from which everything began. The sandstorm was almost a solid wall around him, but looking up, gave him a clear view of the blue sky. The air was charged and shimmered as if gold dust had been sprinkled through the air.

Ouzin inhaled deeply and shivered. There was so much mana and power in the air. The ground trembled beneath his feet, and he fell to his knees. He knew he was standing on solid ground, but the energy in the Hiskar felt so precarious that Ouzin crawled to the center of the circular space, believing he would fall through the ground. The thinness of the dimensional walls was palpable. Here was the sole place in the galaxy that touched Dimension Larklan, the dimension of higher creatures, and where millions of bistians before him had come to offer their spirits and bodies as a host for one of the denizens of Larklan. 

“Oh, great Sigark,” Ouzin whispered. So many times, he’d said the expression frivolously, out of frustration, in disbelief, but for the first time, the significance of it dawned on him. 

Sigark, The Great Fighter, The Ferocious One, The Origin of Courage, The Master of Time. The higher creature, whose chipped-off nail became the planet upon which he now stood. Ouzin gulped. He wondered how many bistians had begun their Trigalan, hoping that they would be the ones to finally host The Great One. Ouzin had no such hope, but the utterance of the name felt potent. 

Upon closer inspection, he found small symbols which seemed to have been randomly engraved into the ground. Ouzin suspected there must have been some sort of meaning or pattern to it, but whatever it was, he could not discern it. Based on common knowledge, he knew that placing his hands on those engravings would begin the process of forming a pact. 

His hand hovered over the symbols, but he hesitated. He felt something graze his shoulder, and although he knew there would be nothing there, he still looked back. In all the time and with all the people making this journey, never had there been word of two people being in the Hiskar simultaneously. Even when two people went in together, they wouldn’t see each other again until they walked back into the storm. Ouzin shivered as he contemplated the kind of power that could manipulate space so thoroughly. 

“This is ridiculous… get a grip Ouzin, just touch it, and get this over with.” Still, he couldn’t force his fingers passed the last few centimeters separating them from the symbols. 

That small distance was cavernous. His life would be changed forever the moment his fingers touched the symbols. His soul, mind, and body would be shared with another entity. If he was lucky, he would also gain immense powers. He closed his eyes, held his breath, then touched the ground.

Instantly, he became aware of his soul as though it were a physical limb, which was now being stretched and pulled out of him. He opened his eyes and tried to pull his hand away from the symbols, but it was impossible. His eyes saw only light. It was light, but this new awareness of his soul sharpened his psychic senses, so shapes within the light started to become discernible. The white light began to take on various forms and colors. He knew that when hirak manifested in the physical dimension, Titinan, they had animal-like bodies, which was why they were commonly called higher creatures. Here in their home dimension, he perceived them as varying frequencies of light. He tried to look down at himself, but all he saw was an expanse of light beneath him. He was a single point in space, and masses, small and large, were converging toward him. 

He felt brushes against his soul. He felt it expand, and shrink, felt the denizens of Larklan touch and test it. Some touches burned, others were cool, some tickled, but all were uncomfortable. He felt like a piece of clothing at the store that the hiraks were trying on to see who he fit better. Most of the largest masses of light did not approach, but he could tell they were looking on with interest. Time had become meaningless, and he didn’t know how long he’d been subjected to the teasing by the hiraks, but soon more and more began to move away from him. Some would join the crowd gathered around him, while others would stretch out into long bands of light and sort of swim away to do whatever it was that hiraks did.

There were only three near him now, two small and one medium-sized. He was inspected some more before the medium-sized one and one of the smaller ones left. They joined the rest of the hiraks spectating. The remaining small hirak moved around him a bit more, and Ouzin was now starting to worry that none of them would choose him. That would be the final straw, for his family would need to lose all respect for him. After a few more moments, he felt something touch his mind. The small hirak was right in front of him. Its colors were mixtures of bright blues and greens. It did nothing but float in front of him, but he could feel its curiosity.

Ouzin wanted to speak to it, ask it what it was curious about, but in this world, he had no lips to use. The hirak understood his intention anyway and moved closer. 

The sensation upon his mind felt stronger now. Something was pushing its way in there. His soul began to swell. He felt like a balloon filling up with air, and as the sensation grew, the form of the hirak in front of him shrunk. He felt like groaning. All the lights were beginning to fade, and he could feel his body again, but still, the swelling sensation remained. 

He could feel the split of his consciousness between Larklan and Bist. His soul seemed to be rising higher while his body remained rooted to the ground. The discomfort was at its peak. Now all he could see was darkness. He could feel his heart racing. He could feel his soul trembling, feel it taking on a new shape. His mouth fell open, and he realized the darkness he was seeing now was the inside of his eyelids. He opened his eyes, and he was back in the Hiskar. A small space enclosed by whirling walls of sand and a clear blue sky above. It was the same place, but he was utterly changed. He fell forward on his face, and power began to surge through his body.

His pulse raced, and the vibration in the ground seemed to pick up as well. With the hirak fully merged with him, it felt like everything he’d experienced before now was a lie. A veil had been lifted from his eyes, his nose unclogged, thick clothing removed from his body. All his senses came alive in terrifying sharpness. He took a deep breath and quickly covered his nose. The power in the air was thick like syrup. What he’d felt before was not even close to the actuality of it, and this new knowledge scared him. Here in this place, creatures beyond his comprehension could so easily tear him apart if they chose to. He was a specimen under their watch. Each breath brought with it the scent of more charged mana and threatened to overwhelm his psyche.  

He sat up and dry heaved. He yanked the backpack off his back and threw it on the ground. Next came his goggles and the scarf. He needed to be free. The psychic pressure was too overwhelming. A wave of dizziness hit, and he sank to the ground again. He could feel the gazes upon him and began to shiver. Just when he thought he would go mad from the helplessness, he felt a small internal tug from a newly awakened part of his body. Instantly, calmness ensued. He knew what this was. It was the psycor. The organ that managed mana which he’d learned about in basic education but had never felt so keenly before now. He also knew that bistian psycors were different than that of other species. 

He leaned into the sensation spreading out from his psycor, which felt like a warm blanket wrapped around him, and following that feeling, he reached the area particular to bistians and touched the hirak’s mind. Joy bloomed from the hirak and enhanced the sense of calmness.

Hello, little one. The hirak’s voice sounded like it was coming from a great distance, but it was one of the friendliest voices Ouzin had ever heard. I am Umil’owan, one of the hiraks of light. May our pact be filled with shimmering joy and fruitful sensations.

Ouzin didn’t fully understand what the expression meant, but the intention was clear. He smiled and replied.

“It is good to meet you, Umil’owan. May our pact be serene and filled with happiness.”

He felt a flutter through his psycor. Do not be afraid of the hirak. They mean no harm. The old and powerful ones like to watch the weaving of souls.

Ouzin nodded but still felt intimidated. He stood, picked up his backpack, scarf, and goggles, then put them on and began to prepare his mind to face the sand storms again.

This is my first time in this dimension. Umil’owan continued. Ouzin could feel their excitement with each word. The sensations are…owooo… it was overwhelmed with emotion, and Ouzin laughed.

“Will you always be able to speak to me like this?” he asked. He’d never seen any of his family conversing with themselves, but maybe it was something to be done privately.

Ouzin felt Umil’owan’s joy dampen a bit. No, the connection to Larklan is strongest here, so this is possible, but when you leave Sigark’s portal…Ouzin had never heard the Hiskar referred to by that name. We probably won’t be able to talk to each other. I cannot manifest outside of here, but you will feel my presence still. Our sensations will be shared.

Many of the particulars went over his head, but he was sad that they wouldn’t be able to talk more. Umil’owan seemed so friendly and supportive. His next emotion was a more practical worry. How would he learn to use his new powers if they couldn’t communicate?

“That’s too bad… um… Not to be rude….” He hesitated. He didn’t want Umil’owan to think that he was just after its power, but that was kind of the point of the pact. “Well, I feel the changes in my body, but how do I use your power?”

Our powers will come to you naturally. You will feel it, and I will help you. Together our power is great and will manifest with shimmering delight!

“Ok?” Ouzin said, but again couldn’t really comprehend what Umil’owan meant.

You will see!

Ouzin considered the certainty he felt from Umil’owan and decided to believe in it. 

“Ok. I’ll trust you,” Ouzin said with more determination and stepped out of the circle of the Hiskar and into the sand storm.