In my short life I experienced losing consciousness to pain and fatigue more times than I would prefer, having my family to thank for that. It was considered normal during training, as its purpose was to continuously break the limits of my body. And as much as my opinion on the topic differed from my parents they wouldn't abstain from making sure I recover after such joyous occasion. So waking up flooded by nausea, dizziness and agony, seeing either wooden ceiling of my room, healing ward or open skies of the training square is something I took for granted.

I expected this time to be the same. I could remember how at the end of the ceremony, as I tried to resist blanking out, my vision was suddenly filled with shades of indigo, dark purple and black. Almost immediately after everything faded away though, leaving me in a weird state with only my core and mana. I remember that my core more or less formed, I even tried to create my Ring. I remember living. No matter how battered I was, as long as I had a breath in my lungs, beating heart and the core that could resist the formation’s influence, the supervising elders would make sure that it stays that way.

I didn’t start thinking such things out of boredom or as a way to focus on something else other than pain wrecking my body. My thoughts wandered so, because this time was different. As my consciousness cleared up, all I noticed around was darkness. I couldn’t feel my body, only absolute detachment from everything as I floated languidly.

The only thing that interrupted otherwise quiet, serene and actually somewhat scary scene, was a low hum that I could hear just above me. Even as I spent here good few minutes, I still couldn’t identify its source though.  I guess the accompanying lack of feelings of my body, my vision, sense of touch or even taste were at fault here. I felt as if all of me was constricted in a small sphere, not allowed to extend over it.

It’s not like I didn’t panic. It’s just that I most likely couldn’t. Just as realization and fear started getting to me, a wave of relaxation crashed into me, silencing all that interfered with my thinking. So with my lack of apprehension, nervousness and any form of hysteria I just floated there, staring ahead. I tried to move, but I couldn’t even feel my limbs. Damn, I didn’t even breathe since the last wave.

[I’m bored. I want something to happen already.] Of course such thoughts were left unanswered, leaving me alone with this annoying sound.

[I want to look what’s happening … to see around … something to appear before me … I wanted to try these cakes they started promoting in L’eterne … I wanted to learn some damn magic … I don’t want to be stuck here for eternity … I want to look what’s above me that makes this annoying sound …]

A slight stirring in my back immediately pulled me away from my lethargic state and small list of regrets. For a moment I could feel as I slightly shifted, though I still couldn’t tell which direction. As happy as I was, I still had no idea what exactly I did different. I just was there, letting my thoughts wander on their own, casually  … don’t tell me …

[ I want to look up!] Lo and behold, I could feel my entire existence turning upwards.

…

…

…

…

… What. The. Hell.

…

…

…

…

What I saw above me was not expected, to say the least. It seemed as if someone poked a hole through the skies with a house-sized needle or something. A crevice that seemed intent on devouring everything, a calamity unheard of, yet still fully intent on expanding beyond its size. Fortunately it seemed limited, bound by a Ring of snow white light. Flat Ring surrounded the hole, its surface covered with violet markings or runes of some sort. The power both of them emanated was incomparable, capable of anything and everything.

It was then that I realized both of them remind me of something. A certain little detail I forgot up to now: how my new core shattered, this very hole left in its place, surrounded by a white ring of light that was bound by violet energy. The only difference I noticed is that both of them were easily hundreds of times bigger and more powerful.

For a long time I was awed by their presence, imagining what will happen to me from now on. ‘But still, I doubt this place doesn’t have anything else here.’ I felt my thoughts stirring, my desires for adventure overflowing. Somewhat experienced, I thought clearly about turning around, looking in every direction. After being disappointed for entire six seconds, I finally caught sight of something interesting.

It was a stone structure of some sort, though I couldn’t be sure considering my position. In the world with no up and down I quickly got confused. Seeing as the hole was on my right, I rotated myself until it was above me, while keeping eye at the newly seen structure.

It was a cobblestone bridge reinforced with battlements on both sides, leading into the unknown. As I am a well-raised noble, taught of importance of awareness, being careful and not letting my guard down thanks to the combat training, I immediately willed myself to move closer to it. Just as I reached the very edge of it, the world seemed to remember how it was supposed to work and all the force I managed to already forget crashed on me, pinning me to the bridge.

And I bounced off.

I did compare my current state to being bound in a sphere or cocoon of some sort, but the accuracy of this statement never bothered me. It was also the first time I thought about actually looking at the state I am in. And don’t ask me how I knew, I just did. I really was a ball. I could only describe myself as just a mass of consciousness or something, lacking anything even remotely similar to actual humanoid body. Basically a big white lump of whatever.

After another few minutes comprehending what my life came to, I refocused on the idea I had. I willed my round and soft body to roll forward.

That wasn’t my brightest idea that day.

After the most nauseating four meters in my life I stopped myself, trying hard not to lose consciousness. The constant spinning made my mind go blank for a moment, scaring the living lights out of me. Or at least as close to it as I was allowed, before I was forcefully calmed down. But still, I didn’t want to know what would happen to me if I lost consciousness while my body was still unconscious out there.

I quickly calmed myself down and got to thinking. My second greatest idea was to try something different. I repositioned myself so I looked upwards, then thought really hard about how my body felt like. I slowly reminded myself of all the training I did, all the sword stances and footwork I desperately learned, how my body moved, which muscles reacted in what way, the reach and flexibility of my limbs. After that came the color of my skin and eyes, my face and hair, my height and weight. I willed my small spherical body to adapt to these thoughts that filled my mind.

The result? Pure white, faceless, hairless body without any special characteristics except its four limbs and a head.

[Ohh well, as long as it works.]

Seeing as my body didn’t immediately revert back into a sphere after relaxing, I slowly tested my arms and legs, comparing them to my memories. As I slowly stood up on my trembling legs, I could feel that though the height was more or less correct, my body weighed no more than one-tenth of the original. Which was pretty okay with me, considering how it took some effort to actually stand in my current state.

After few moments I started moving one step at a time, following the bridge. My view extended only as far as twenty meters, no more. As I slowly walked forward, the bridge changed after good forty or fifty meters, splitting apart. Not for long though, as two parts connected few meters ahead, leaving a perfectly circular hole in the middle. Through the gap a single glowing string of violet light extended. Both ends reached high above and deep below, further than I could see. The part I saw slowly moved, flowing in the air, sometimes twisting, coiling or simply straightening, as it slowly moved in every direction, yet never left the circle.

An interesting sight for sure, but I was honestly numb to all of this after so long. So after looking at it for a moment, I continued on my way. Then came another darkness, extending for another fifty meters or so. I soon reached the end of the bridge. But what I’ve seen there wasn’t something even the forced calmness could choke down.

The bridge ended in the same way on this side as on the other, with the exception of what was beyond it. Instead of pure darkness and empty space or another black hole, there was a floor. Wood flooring extended as far as I could see, which still amounted to meager twenty meters or so. The wood was kept in darker hues, connected seamlessly, yet the weird thing about it was that every single piece was absolutely identical.

But what shocked me out of my mind wasn’t the floor. About fifteen meters ahead stood a single leather armchair. Brown coloured, big and deep, the backrest at the angle so low one could easily sleep on it comfortably. Next to it was a small side table on which rested a weirdly-looking lamp. If not for familiar design, without neither any candles nor magic stones I wouldn’t really call it that. The light still shined though, reaching for at most five meters around it. It wasn’t too bright, just enough to brighten the armchair.

And on this chair sat a person. The special thing about him was the fact that he actually had an appearance. A tall, well-built man about sixteen or seventeen years old, with unkempt black hair reaching just below his ears and green eyes covered by rectangular glasses with rim only covering upper edge. A confident smile, white teeth and relaxed posture emanated charisma that was rare even among the nobles I got to know during my stay in Primary Academy and my family’s acquaintances. He was wearing a uniform of some sort, reminding me of ones I’ve seen at the Royal Knight Academy. Albeit this one seemed more casual, leaving parts like sleeves and legs more loose with no parts reinforced at all.

This book is hosted on another platform. Read the official version and support the author's work.

He stared directly at me, arrogant grin on his face. He was waiting for me patiently, visibly unaffected by my arrival. Dazed, I walked in his direction, taking my time with each step as my thoughts crazily ran in circles. As I stopped about two meters away from him, before I could react, his arm left the armrest and extended my way.

Then with a motion of pushing something, I could feel power of will similar to my own knock me away without a chance to resist. Just when I started panicking, my backside fell onto something unbelievably soft, yet firm at the same time. As I directed my sight underneath, I realized I was sitting on the identical armchair as the man before me. Shocked, I looked at him, questions and theories all jumbling together. After some time of confusion I managed to send my thought outward, almost on instinct.

[Who …] The message ended abruptly because of my unstable state.

“Who am I? Hmm … To comprehend my existence at least in a small degree, you can call me God. Or you can call me the Order. Or the Truth. I am me and I am the World. My body is the Cosmos, Transformations of the Sun and the Moon serve as my bones, my heart consists of the Laws. I am one and I am all.”

…

…

…

… W-wha …

… sigh, damn it all, i don’t care! I’m too tired for this!

[You … you are the Creator? Th-the one and only being that guides, observes and controls all worlds? T-the one who w-...] My rapid thoughts were interrupted with a peculiar sound.

“Puh, ha-hahaha! I-I can’t, I can’t! Your reaction, ohh my god, I love it! Hahaha, I-I don’t believe you actually took me seriously! Hahahahaha!”

…

…

…

…

…

…

… So which one is it!? WHAT THE HELL IS HAPPENING?! IT WAS A JOKE?! WHO MAKES A JOKE LIKE THAT?!?!?!

[Y-you… w-w-w-what … ? ] Is honestly the only response I managed to let out.

“Hahaha, it was a joke, dude, a joke! I’m not a god or anything. My name is Blake, Blake Winters. Nice to meet you, brat!”

[Astrelia Rythorn. Nice to mee… wait, that’s not it! What do you mean it was a joke?! What is happening here and who are you?!]

“Hey, calm down, calm down. I’m no less confused than you are, it’s just that I had more time to get used to it. I do have few ideas, but until you wake up they will probably stay as they are.” He said as he lifted both his hands up in surrender.

I took some time now to finally calm down. After thinking for a bit I realized I probably would have preferred him to actually be a god or something similar, then i would have at least a chance to know what’s happening.

And if I am to be locked in a dark place like that, it could at least be a beautiful girl, not a handsome man! Damn, even just slightly above average girl would be better.

… Wait, actually … I’m not the most handsome at the moment … Argh, whatever!

I glared at him, or rather tried to make him understand that I glare at him without any eyes, and pressed him for answers.

[So what ideas are those? Speak up, maybe I will be able to help think of something. Just this time without any jokes, please.]

“I’m sorry for that, okay? Anyway, you learned about and , right? Congratulations then, you apparently became a .”

We did learn about and their in school, actually. They are legends, each wielding incredible powers or incomparable knowledge, molding history with their own hands. They are something every child always dreamed about becoming. They are existences at the summit, thanks to their uniqueness.

From what people know, they are special, because they defied the very Fate. Every existence is supported by Fate and its Laws, their destiny more or less predetermined. The moment when a person goes against it, their portion of Fate is cut off and eliminated. Without it their very existence, their soul, would slowly crumble and die. To prevent that, their souls are connected to ones from other, lower worlds. By sharing the burden, people from our world can keep living, unbound and free from many of the rules that previously limited them.

As to what Fate they denied, how they connected to others and how exactly it works, wasn’t known. But the man before confidently said I became one of those very beings, without any explanation nor clear reason.

[And how the hell do you know that? Do you even know what those are? And even if, only just if, I really am a , how it is possible for us to meet like that? and are supposed to only share their thoughts, not meet face to face.]

“Says the guy without face.” He said with a snicker, making me cringe a little inside. “You seem to underestimate me a little bit. Didn’t I say I’m a God?”

[You did, right before your facade crumbled and you apologized for a joke.]

“Ohh, right. Anyway, it’s simple. First, it’s common knowledge in my world that they exist, especially since like half the world depends solely on our . Second, you’ve been asleep for a week or so, during which various people came to your room and talked about different things, including the possibility of you being new .”

[What?! It’s common knowledge in your world? Half the world depends on ? What’s going on over there?!] To think that some legends we heard are something natural in a lower world.

“Well, long story short, when are connected with strong , some of the mana is transferred through their bond, actually. We come from a world with no natural mana, so after it was discovered for the first time about thirty or forty years ago, it shocked everyone. Naturally people like that were being caught and experimented upon, they tried to learn how to create their own mana and study magic. But no matter how much they tried, they never reproduced mana, nor learnt any magic, since even weren’t able to.

Years passed in disappointment, during which they slowed down their research, until someone figured out a way to use mana as an energy source. Our world progressed with science to uncomparable distance, making it fully dependent on the energy. But the researchers hit a wall with a way to support lacking sources of energy, so with a way to convert mana into incredible amounts of pure energy, almost all problems with it were solved.

Every instantly was elevated in status, becoming a VIP, something like a noble in your world, and were protected by newly created laws. They were offered big houses, high paycheck and special privileges, including not needing to attend school or work. Their only limitations were to not leave the country under any circumstances and attendance for special sessions, during which they would learn how to help their , since the amount of mana transferred depended on their strength.”

[Ehh, science, no mana, experiments, free … I give up, I don’t know what to comment on.] I sighed again, to his apparent pleasure. [You seem well versed with how it works though.]

“Well, last time I checked, there were 73 , my girlfriend Thalia being one of them. Though I guess now there is one more.”

[Your girlfriend … must be nice to date such a high-class girl then. But how come you are here? Unless it’s actually common?]

“Ahh, no, I never heard anything about a situation like that. As to why I’m here …” He stopped for a moment, his expression dimmed down, to one filled with sadness and loneliness. “ … I had an accident about four weeks ago. During a date I was pushed off the stairs. When I hit my back really hard, I apparently suffered from cardiac arrest. The help arrived too late, and though they saved my life in the end, my body is now in coma.

For the last three weeks I was here, in pure darkness, able to hear everything that was happening outside. First few days were pretty bad, but after that I realized that my imagination and will had a visible effect here. About a week ago this bridge was created and when I followed it I saw how you fell from that black hole. At first I wanted to just drag you here or create something on your side, but neither worked. And the longer I stayed there, the worse I felt, so I decided to just wait for you.”

I felt like he was a bastard that always treated everything with ridicule, never caring about something too much. But knowing what he suffered, I didn’t have the confidence to say I would be able to smile like that.

[… I’m sorry for reminding you. And I hope everything will go well for you.]

“Ohh, please, it’s hard to forget about it when I look around. And hey, now it seems it won’t be boring anymore. I always wanted to see what a fantasy world was about.” He said with a smile.

[Huh? What do you mean? I mean, sure, if I learn how to come back here again, then I can tell you about it, but it’s not like you will be able to see much. Or rather, I still need to get out of here or neither of us will see anything.]

“Nah, don’t worry about it. I figured it out already when you were asleep. I have some confidence I will be able to see and hear what you will, if you will allow me of course. As for getting you out, I guess we will have to wait and see.”

[Wait, what? How do you want to do that?]

“When I went to your side, I got curious about that black hole. When I focused on it, I could barely feel some resistance, but after overpowering it, the same thing happened as with my body. By that I mean I could hear what was happening outside. After some time I felt that I could probably see through your eyes as well, but as they were closed I still saw only darkness.

As for your permission, I guessed the resistance I felt was coming from you, since with every day it was growing stronger, until I would really have to strain myself. That’s also how I heard some people talk about you being and few other things about you.”

I felt a bit ashamed after hearing that, since I never even thought about doing that. It did sound reasonable, considering how similar it was to my core. Okay, let’s do it immediately!

[Can’t believe I didn’t think of that. Oh well, might as well do it now. Are you coming? We can check whether you can see and hear as well.] I sent as I stood up.

“Sure, let’s go.”

As we made our way across the bridge I asked him about the violet string, but as neither of us had any idea, we continued on our way. After resting for a bit I refined my body during the walk, thanks to which my body grew more and more similar. When I reached the level of probably being able to jog, we arrived at the end of my side. Not wanting to lose to him, I quickly focused my thoughts and tried to create a platform of my own. Except mine made from stone tiles, light grey, each being a square about quarter of a meter in length. Slowly one tile after another grew from the end of the bridge, extending to directly below the core, after which the floor grew to the sides.

But as I was silently working, hearing an advice every now and then from Blake, I could feel a piercing pain in my chest. After a cry of pain I instinctively looked up, only to see a drop of almost white, with a light blue hue, liquid slowly emerged through the hole. The drop fell for at most a meter, after which it just stopped, hovering in place. The power was similar to the gaseous mana, only few times more powerful. It was actually the liquified mana, the fruit of weeks and months of hard work of every mage, a necessary resource to create next World Rings of the Elements.

Its appearance, though nice and surprising, wasn’t what stirred me awake from my work. It was the pain from piercing the hole and the suction force that continuously grew, trying to draw me inside. A single look towards Blake let me know that this force only affected me.

“Wha-”

[It’s dragging me inside! I won’t be able to resist it soon. I will try to find a way to come back here again or at least let you see and hear from my side. Let’s get along fro-] I tried to cram as much information as possible, but before I could finish I was pulled inside, my vision immediately went black.