WALLACE GARRET

I found myself standing in front of a row of desks, each one a deep black colour that seemed to absorb the light around it. Despite this, they still appeared shiny and reflective. Looking up, I noticed that the ceiling was a dull grey and lined with artificial lights. It was a classroom, and I seemed to be standing near the podium, close to the whiteboard.

As the classroom began to fill with people, all dressed in similar clothing, I could sense their impatience growing as they waited for something to happen. But what was I supposed to do? Where was I supposed to go? Suddenly, I realised that I was asking the wrong question. It wasn’t where I was, but rather who I was.

As the scenery around me began to blur and cloud over with mist, I felt my body moving towards it of its own accord. Soon, one of the students approached me, their faces only partially visible through the fog. They spoke in an echoing voice, asking, "Professor?"

As the student spoke, I was struck with a feeling of familiarity. It was as if I had heard that voice before, but I couldn’t quite place it. Before I could respond, the mist around me started to thicken, obscuring my vision even further.

As I walked towards the mist, I could feel myself becoming more and more disoriented. My head was spinning, and I was having trouble staying on my feet. I stumbled forward, my hands reaching out blindly in front of me.

Suddenly, I felt a hand on my shoulder. It was the same student who had spoken to me before. This time, they were fully visible, and I could see that they were smiling at me.

*

As the dream started to become unclear, the world around me began to distort, and I was suddenly jolted awake. Gasping for air, it felt like I had just been pulled from the ocean, where I was about to drown.

Looking around my surroundings, I was able to remember everything. I knew where I was and, most importantly, who I was: Wallace Garret.

As I slowly regained my bearings, I realised that my entire body was covered in sweat, making me feel even colder in this already frigid environment. Looking around, I saw that everyone else had woken up too, and we were all lying on empty rugs that had been laid out next to each other.

It was only then that I noticed our surroundings—we were inside an igloo-like structure that we had stumbled upon during our journey. But this was no ordinary igloo, for it was made entirely of crystal, glistening in the dim light of the realm we found ourselves in.

I pushed myself up and walked towards the exit of the crystal structure, eager to explore our new surroundings. As I stepped outside, the stark beauty of the realm was revealed to me.

I was astounded by the sharp, crystalline grassland’s bizarre beauty as I looked out into the vast, empty expanse in front of me. The crystal grass tips appeared nearly frail but at the same time sharp and frightening, and the rough terrain appeared to have been moulded by some holy hand. They truly created a kaleidoscope of rainbow colours that danced before my eyes as they shimmered in the sunlight.

I noticed bright white vegetation scattered across the meadow as I ventured further into it. The place had an unearthly atmosphere thanks to the strange flora that shone out against the terrain’s darkness. They brought a sense of peace to the otherwise tense environment with their soothing light.

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Glancing around, I saw Kei and Cliff sparring with each other in their enhanced states, which caused the crystalline grass around them to bounce as if it were supporting them. Davy was meditating at this time.

Avlyrra: The 6th realm was where we were.

"After four weeks, we’ve finally discovered a resting area. Don’t you want to rest?" I questioned

"Well, resting would be nice, but our survival should be our top priority. The 3rd realm was a nightmare with its toxic swamps, which left us gasping for air and praying for a way out. We were lucky to make it out alive. But that was just the beginning. The fourth realm was an otherworldly maze, twisting and turning in ways that made our heads spin. We wandered aimlessly for days, surviving only on the meagre scraps we had left. It was a miracle we made it through."

"And then there was the 5th realm, a living hell with its active volcano that spewed fire and ash without warning. We were running for our lives every second we were there, and it’s a miracle we survived that too. I’m not sure how much longer our luck will hold." Cliff answered.

"Oh, certainly." I was forced to move back because I was at a loss for words in response to his response, mostly because everything he said was accurate.

I continued and sat down next to Davy, who had closed his eyes and entered a deep state of meditation. I shut my eyes and followed his lead, concentrating on my surroundings.

As I stood there, I could feel the immense presence of solar energy surrounding me, like an ocean of light. With a deep breath, I visualised the flow of sol as white threads and began to pull on them, slipping into a state of Zen.

I had been practicing this technique for a while and was now able to maintain it for up to twenty minutes. However, the burning sensation I had been feeling for some time now persisted, reminding me of the challenges that awaited me in the upcoming realms.

As we descended deeper into limbo, the creatures and environments became increasingly hostile and unforgiving. Even my heightened state of awareness through Zen would soon be insufficient to deal with the harsh conditions of the next realm.

I had only succeeded in extending my time in Zen. I hardly managed to boost my power there. Zen would soon be useless, and even in my enhanced state, I would be powerless to affect the incoming realms.

Yet there was a solution to all of this, as I had been told at the lakefront. As I focused on the countless sol channels flowing through me, I could sense impurities in them, like black leaves floating in a clear lake.

Removing these impurities was the first step to increasing the power of my Zen state. At first, I tried imposing my will on the channels, telling them to expel the impurities, but it didn’t work. It was then that an idea struck me: I needed to start with the basics.

I began by visualising water flowing through my body and carrying the impurities out. I had to remember that we could only influence it, not control it completely, as my instructor had taught me. I showed the sol channels the way they needed to flow to expel the impurities, and I maintained the utmost concentration for several minutes. It was a daunting task, and I almost gave up, but then I noticed a subtle distortion in the satellite channels around me.

The channels began to flow in such a way that one of the impurities, a black leaf, started to move through a predetermined path towards the exit of my body. The movement was slow, but it was a start.

I had finally figured out how to reinforce my sol channels, but this was just the beginning. There were innumerable sol channels, and I needed to reinforce each one. That would be a troublesome job, but at least I had been able to figure out how to complete it.

*

The sound of something jolted me out of my meditative state, and I noticed that my companions were also looking in the same direction, clearly disturbed by it. It was a sound that I could only hear in Zen, indicating that it was far away.

As I followed their gaze, I saw a group of creatures emerging and filling the area around us. They looked like wolves, but much larger than any ordinary wolves I had ever seen, with white fur, three crimson eyes, and black horns protruding from their heads.

"We refer to them as shadowhorns. I learned about this from my family." Davy explained

One of the shadowhorns let out an ear-splitting roar that would have caused us immense pain had we not been in Zen. The creatures were clearly not to be taken lightly, and I felt a sense of unease wash over me. It was clear that we would have to be extremely careful if we were to make it through this realm alive.