"Congratulations on successfully completing the trial of the inner sanctum! the younger version of myself exclaimed with pride evident in their voice.

"May I leave now?" I inquired, eager to move forward.

"Of course, but before you go, wouldn’t you like to receive the reward I promised you earlier?" The younger me replied, a mischievous tone lacing his words. Pausing for a moment, he added, "Please extend your hand."

Complying with their request, I reached out, and the childlike version of myself gripped my hand tightly. Instantly, a wave of dizziness washed over me, quickly followed by an intense and excruciating pain that coursed through my entire body.

"Wait—" I screamed in agony; my voice caught in the midst of the pain, rendering me unable to speak coherently.

It felt as if my body was undergoing a profound transformation. Gradually, the pain began to subside, leaving behind a sense of anticipation. Surprisingly, I couldn’t discern any noticeable changes in my physical form once the process had concluded.

Suddenly, a voice reverberated within my mind.

[You have received the blessing: Seersight.]

"What does this mean?" I started to inquire, but I was abruptly interrupted.

"Discover the significance in due time. For now, rest and recuperate here," the younger me advised, emphasising the need for respite.

**

I rested for a few hours, sweat flowing all over my body, most likely as a result of the procedure that had occurred. I approached the boy once everything had passed and I was back to normal.

"I can send you back now, but..." The young boy paused, deep in thought.

"But what?" I inquired, curious about the boy’s hesitation.

"There is a small favour I would like to ask of ou." He spoke with uncertainty in his voice.

"Please, tell me more," I urged, wanting to understand the nature of his request.

"Have you been experiencing any peculiar and nonsensical dreams lately?" he asked in a hushed tone.

I pondered for a moment, recalling that I had indeed been having strange dreams recently. Memories of the dream I had while camping with Davy and Cliff in Avlyrra, just before the Shadowhorn attack, flooded my mind. I also remembered the dream I had upon waking up on my second day in the Aurorium, the respite zone.

In the first dream, I found myself in a classroom surrounded by black desks and a gray ceiling. The people in the room exuded impatience, but my purpose eluded me. Eventually, I realised that the important question wasn’t where I was but rather who I was. Mist shrouded the surroundings, and a student addressed me as "Professor."

The second dream transported me to an unfamiliar laboratory filled with peculiar equipment.

Disoriented and unsure of my surroundings, I encountered a formidable figure radiating intense energy. Despite a flicker of familiarity, I couldn’t identify the person. The dream abruptly ended, leaving me bewildered.

"Yes, it seems that is the case. What does it mean?" I asked, eager to understand the significance.

"Follow me," the boy replied.

Without raising any further questions, I obediently followed him. He led me through a series of doors in the labyrinthine corridor, and after a few minutes, we arrived at our destination.

This story has been unlawfully obtained without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

"Is that a bridge?" I exclaimed, astonished by the sight before me.

The boy had guided me to the entrance of a colossal bridge. Its structure appeared to be made of transparent glass, and as my gaze reached its end, I could see a foggy expanse lying ahead.

"I need to tell you something special about this bridge," he said. "It wasn’t here before. It just appeared out of nowhere a long time ago. Even I can’t go across it, because whenever I try, it pushes me away."

He continued, "Usually, when I can’t go somewhere, it means there are secret memories deep inside your mind. But those places are already here. This bridge is different!"

He looked at me curiously and said, "I think if you cross this bridge, you might find the answers to your strange dreams. You can go because this place belongs to you. I’m just taking care of it. You get to choose."

His words made me think. This was a really special chance. I might not get another opportunity to enter this place again, and I could finally get the answers I’ve been searching for in my dreams.

"I’ll go." I replied eagerly.

"Okay then! I can’t help you anymore, but don’t worry. I’ll keep an eye on you. If something bad happens, I’ll bring you back to the real world right away," he reassured me as his form started to disintegrate.

Without wasting a moment, I stepped onto the bridge and was relieved to find that it didn’t resist my crossing. Made of transparent glass, it appeared fragile, but under my feet, it proved to be sturdy and unbreakable.

As I walked further, reaching the end of the bridge, the fog that had concealed the area gradually dissipated, revealing my surroundings. I found myself atop a hill in a vast expanse. Heavy rain poured down, accompanied by thunderous roars that filled the air.

Scattered across the area were fragments of a broken mirror, casting an eerie atmosphere over the place. It emanated an ominous aura, tingling my senses.

Suddenly, the space around me distorted, and from within the distorted space, another fragment of mirror emerged, as if being expelled by the very place itself.

"Wait… Space!" I exclaimed, a realisation dawning upon me with the utterance of that word.

It struck me that this dormant power within me, the one that allowed me to split my vision into two, had played a role in defeating the skeletal whale. I had utilised this power to teleport above its skull, a feat achieved through my sol-weaving after splitting my vision.

Finally, I understood the essence of my nexus—it was space." However, I couldn’t fathom the reason behind it. I lacked knowledge of the concept of space; I wasn’t a scientist. Why my nexus would be space remained a mystery to me.

"This place... it holds the answers to everything—my dreams, my nexus," I murmured to myself, observing the enigmatic surroundings.

It became evident that this place was a fragment of my mind, housing my nexus, as evidenced by the distortions in space that occurred sporadically. Moreover, it held the key to unravelling the mysteries hidden within my dreams.

"This implies that my nexus of ‘space’ and my dreams are intricately interconnected!" The realisation finally struck me, illuminating the profound link between the two.

Without wasting any time, I made the decision to gather the scattered fragments of the mirror, driven by the hope that they might offer some insights. To my surprise, when I assembled some of the fragments, a peculiar phenomenon occurred.

The mirror pieces formed a mosaic, revealing a moving image as if I were peering through the broken lens of a video.

Within the scene, I witnessed a grand library brimming with books solely dedicated to the space-time theory. A faint figure loomed beside the library, engaged in conversation with a younger individual.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t discern their dialogue as the sound eluded me. However, I surmised that this person must be the enigmatic figure from my dreams, although I could only observe their back and not their face.

Just as anticipation mounted and the person was on the verge of turning to disclose their identity, a sudden bolt of lightning struck the mirror, shattering the illusion and fragmenting the mirror once again.

"You have known too much," a commanding voice said, reverberating throughout the area. This voice seemed to be that of an older man.

"Who are you?" I called out loudly, but my question was met with silence. Before I could repeat my inquiry, a bolt of lightning unexpectedly struck me, interrupting my words and leaving me in shock.

**

"Ah…" I gradually recovered my senses as I awoke. I was in a cave-like chamber with bright brown walls. I could see Kei and Elsie next to me, both in deep sleep.

"I understand now." I spoke as I realised what had transpired.

The keeper of the inner sanctum, the young version of myself, had sensed that I was in danger and had sent me back to the actual world before anything bad could happen to me. Kei and Elsie, who were lying next to me, were living examples of this.

I attempted to wake them up, but my attempts were unsuccessful.

"This means that these two are still inside the inner sanctum, going through the trial." All I can do is hope they pass it and wait for them to arrive." I came to a conclusion.