I sat in the center of the pagoda, crossing my legs as I tried to calm the whirlwind of thoughts in my mind.

Elder Nina approached slowly, each of her steps echoing softly in the silence. "To reach Ecstasy," she said, her voice calm and firm, "you must quiet your mind and focus on not thinking. Don’t imagine. Simply... close your eyes and don't think."

I took a deep breath, closing my eyes as instructed. But my mind resisted. Thoughts came and went like a rebellious storm, hard to contain. With each new distraction, I tried to focus on my breathing—slow, steady, an anchor to keep me present. Gradually, the storm of thoughts began to dissipate, replaced by a silent emptiness.

After several attempts, my once restless mind found a fragile calm.

"Now feel the Energy," Nina continued, her soft voice behind me. "It moves within you, in disarray. Guide it gently, like directing a river to the sea, without forcing it. I will know if you try to rush." A light laugh escaped the Elder’s lips, carrying the wisdom of someone who had guided this process many times before.

I then felt the cold touch of her fingers on the back of my neck, a current that awakened a new perspective within me. I breathed deeply, trying to follow her instructions. The sensation of something pulsing around and through me was indescribable—not particles, nor waves, but a presence. Something that had always been there, invisible, until that moment.

Externally, the Primordial Energy was like a vibrational field. The air around me seemed slightly electrified, as if charged with a gentle force, without a shock. When we passed through areas of high energy concentration, there was a faint pressure, like swimming against a soft current of air. This invisible force caressed my skin, neither warm nor cold, but undeniably real.

I recognized this phenomenon. I had always felt something similar when my ‘father’ or ‘mother’ used magic near me, like an echo vibrating through space.

Internally, I focused on the flow of Energy, imagining it as a slow-moving river coursing through my body. I tried to direct it to my head, but it refused to move, remaining stagnant and confused.

"Don’t give up," Nina said softly. "The Primordial Energy cannot be forced. It must be felt and guided, like following the rhythm of a dance, without haste."

I tried again, this time more gently, aiming only to feel the energy move naturally. There was a slight shift, but as soon as I tried to control it, it stopped again. Frustrated, I let out a silent sigh. It required more concentration than I had imagined.

"You’re almost there," Nina encouraged. "Don’t try to control it, it’s not time yet. Let it flow through you, without resistance."

With each new attempt, I learned something different. The energy began to move, sometimes imperceptibly, other times with a bit more force. With every failure, I got closer to the right feeling. It was like tuning in to an unknown frequency within me.

Over time, I understood the energy inside my body better. It was a fluid, serene current, like electricity but without the shock. When directed, it intensified, creating a harmonious pulse, almost like an invisible melody echoing inside me. There was something dual about it, as if two opposing forces were present, but one was... peculiar, unnaturally dark and unreal.

After several attempts, I felt a stronger connection. The energy finally flowed like a river finding its path. Once I realized I had reached the right point, I allowed it to rise up my spine, sliding up to my head, quick and smooth like the opening of floodgates.

A wave of warmth and a slight pressure took over my mind. It was a completely new sensation, followed by a faint rush of dizziness.

"That’s it," Nina whispered.

"Open your eyes," she instructed.

---

When I opened my eyes, the world around me had drastically changed. The temple, Nina, Nene, and my ‘family’ had vanished, replaced by something incomprehensibly different.

It was nothing like what everyone had prepared me to see. This place was a disturbing distortion, a dark reflection of my own mind. I blinked several times, trying to adjust my vision to the purple darkness that now enveloped me like a cloak of living shadows.

The Ecstasy I had expected wasn’t a realm of nightmares, but it seemed to be in an incomplete state, as if still being shaped. In front of me, a circle on the ground pulsed in shades of somber purple, and at its center stood a decayed, fragile tree—no wood, but made of dense darkness, as if the light of life had been drained from its core.

Beyond the tree, the vastness around me was desolate, an ocean of dead land covered by an empty sky, where ashes or snow fell in an endless cycle of forgetfulness. The ground was riddled with deep cracks, as if the planet itself had been wounded, and from the fissures, purple sparks emanated, tracing chaotic patterns. Each step I took echoed in this void, a sharp sound that only amplified the feeling that I was completely alone. The landscape, cold and gray, resembled a mirror of death, as if it were trapped between destruction and absolute ruin.

On the horizon, a planet split in half spewed lilac magma, like blood oozing from a fatal wound. Its surface seemed to have been ravaged by an immeasurable force, with crumbled mountains and shattered rocks forming an apocalyptic scene around it. The planet was dying slowly, its core dripping, while shadows danced around the fissures. That world seemed to reflect this one, also spilling magma at the edges of my vision.

The memory of my conversation with the Entity echoed in my mind. This place, like the other dimension, was a distorted reflection, but without any trace of redeeming light. Here, there was no hope. Only shadows.

Yet, in the midst of the chaos, an almost imperceptible detail caught my attention. On the horizon, too, a few stars shone faintly, dotting the dark sky with small sparks of light. They were faint promises of something beyond, but even these stars seemed unreachable, distant as if they were light-years away. They shone, fragile, as if dying along with the world around me.

I kept walking, the sound of my own steps echoing in the vastness as I tried to understand the meaning of the black tree and the shattered landscape.

On the trunk, deep marks seemed like scars from battles fought long ago, etched into the darkness like grim memories. The leaves, black as coal, fell slowly, disintegrating into the air before they even touched the ground.

Its roots were exposed, spreading like tentacles across the cracked soil. They pulsed with dark energy, an echo of suffering resonating through the earth. I touched one of the roots, feeling a faint vibration beneath my fingers, like a distant lament echoing from the depths of the tree.

It seemed alive, but corrupted, with a force opposite to life flowing through it. I approached the trunk, cautiously extending my hand, hoping for some revelation, but the only response was intense cold, a sensation that drained what little warmth remained in me.

I looked around once more, trying to find meaning in that devastated shadowy wasteland. The desolation surrounding me seemed an extension of my own mind—each crack in the ground, each twisted branch, reflected fears and insecurities I hadn’t even recognized until that moment. The tree, with its pulsating roots, was a physical manifestation of everything buried in my subconscious, a living reminder that I was at the mercy of forces far greater than me.

Suddenly, excruciating pain invaded my mind, like a needle piercing my thoughts. It spread quickly, becoming unbearable pressure that seemed to want to explode my head. I brought my hands to my temples, trying to resist the overwhelming pain, but it was like fighting an inevitable wave. The darkness inside me seemed to want to manifest, taking over every part of my being.

I fell to my knees, my body struggling not to succumb to exhaustion. Every breath was an agonizing effort, my muscles trembling under the weight of the pain consuming my mind. Fatigue washed over me like a tide, each second more difficult to endure.

Then I felt it. A slight but perceptible change in the flow of energy.

Nina.

Her invisible touch interrupted the uncontrolled flow of mana that overloaded my mind. The pain began to retreat, as if her intervention was restoring balance. But even with her help, something still resisted—a strange, hungry force trying to claim its place.

---

The old woman’s cold touch on the back of my neck had disappeared, replaced by a faint sensation of warmth. The world around me had returned to normal, though I still felt an echo of the pain in my mind. I took a deep breath, trying to compose myself.

It felt like I had gone days without sleep.

In a second, my heavy eyelids gave way to invincible sleep.

“Mother, father... I’m sleepy.”

---

**Point of View of Mother Néfo:**

The corridor was too dark. That was common at the beginning of a connection, but something was wrong this time. No matter how far I walked, the darkness remained dense, almost palpable. I should have started seeing the lights—fragments of thoughts, memories, dreams. But everything was still shrouded in shadows.

"Everything’s normal," I repeated to myself mentally, trying to reassure myself. Yet, unease grew. Every step I took seemed to push me deeper into something unknown.

Then I heard a deep voice.

“No.”

One word, deep and powerful, echoing through the void. My body stopped instinctively, but my mind

 hesitated. I tried to collect myself. This wasn’t the first time I had encountered mental barriers. I continued walking.

“You shouldn’t be here.”

The voice was stronger now, closer. A clear warning, but I didn’t have time for this. Something was deeply wrong, and I needed to understand. The connection wasn’t supposed to be like this, not even close.

"This doesn’t make sense..." I whispered to myself. The minds of children had never shown resistance before. So why, now, was everything so... opaque? I am centuries old, using the magic and resilience of my species to perhaps live for millennia... I have guided powerful White Stars, people who became heroes in the war against the cirus and their oppression, training many in the ways of Primordial Energy before retreating to this small community with my people.

I only remember two resistances before... when those beings visited me, those who came from somewhere in the sky and... the fire... that monster from the precursors.

"Turn back, little light."

That phrase hit me like a cold breeze. There was a tone of pity in the voice, as if it knew something I didn’t. Little light... Me, a guide, someone who carried the weight of centuries of wisdom in Primordial Energy, being called "little." My duty was clear. It was my mission to guide, to show the way to new generations, although restricted to my people, I am still someone with ideals. I couldn’t allow myself to be intimidated.

“There are things that should not be seen,” said the deep voice, as corrupted primordial energy clashed against me. I dispelled it, using the luminous and pure primordial energy.

That was enough. Something inside me rebelled, and a firmness I thought forgotten overtook me. “It doesn’t matter,” I thought. “It’s my duty. I won’t back down.”

I pressed on. The air around me became heavier, almost suffocating. Then, finally, I saw it—an energy, something dense and dark. It was unlike anything I had ever encountered in all my mental journeys. I approached the door, knowing it was the final barrier. If I could cross it, maybe I could understand what was happening.

I touched it and dispelled the veil.

What awaited me on the other side was indescribable.

As I crossed that door, I was enveloped by a vastness that no words could describe. Everything around me was made of light and shadow, as if the very air were interwoven with brilliance. Shapes danced in the dark, spirals of distant fire that twirled and floated, stretching into infinity. I had never seen anything like it—didn’t know what they were, but in my heart, I recognized their grandeur.

They seemed like sculptures crafted by a much greater force, something that touched the unknown. The sparks that appeared and died in the void were like thoughts from an ancient mind, breathing in silence. Currents of luminous dust dragged through the air, tracing lines like bright scars in the deep darkness. Everything there seemed forged by the will of something divine, an incomprehensible force that shaped and sustained this vastness.

It was like being in the womb of a living creation, where every spark pulsed with hidden intent, where the void between them wasn’t absence, but an ancient presence, the mark of an entity that saw everything, understood everything. I felt that this vastness wasn’t meant to be understood, but contemplated. It was a blessed vision, a glimpse of something sacred that transcended the barriers of the world I knew.

There, before me, lay the very body of a mystery that could only be the work of a divinity. Was this what the precursors called the Cosmos?

Beyond them, beneath me, there was a void. Not just any void, but an absence of everything. Something that transcended even comprehension. It was like looking into an abyss that shouldn’t exist. But from there came the consciousness of Kiel.

In the middle of that void, it emerged.

A creature made of purple shadows, a winged serpent, its overwhelming presence surrounded by impossible forms, constantly twisting the fabric of reality, then transforming into a single Black Sphere glowing with purple. Its eye—or whatever it was—fixed on me. I was gripped by an overwhelming cold.

And then, it roared. A deafening roar, a monster coming from the duality of a dimension opposite to the one I had witnessed in full grace.

---

The sound went beyond my ears. It tore through my mind, making the cosmos around me tremble. I fell, the creature’s overwhelming force ripping me away from that vision, throwing me back into reality.

Aidan, holding his sleeping son, asked, "How did it go?"

They don’t need to know...

Gasping, my eyes opened. I was back, my body still trembling, my mind scattered. But one thing was clear: that mind harbored something I should never have seen... something beyond any comprehension...

Kiel, what... are you?