He stopped.

Lost as he was talking to himself, he didn't realize he had succeeded. He felt the aether pumping energy into his eyes. They burned, as if ready to shoot laser beams.

He decided to carefully reopen his eyelids. The world around him seemed different. He could see the lines of force running through the rock, the currents of energy flowing through the mountain like blood through the veins.

And there, hidden from his eyes but clear to his new senses, he saw the solution. The wall was the secret door to a passage that led to who knows where, it was not a dead end.

It is enough for me to go beyond it with the ‘etheric pulse’.

Shirei breathed and sent the signal to his core to activate his signature technique. He walked towards the wall confidently, calculating the exact moment to cross it, but something went wrong.

Sbam!

With a thud, he hit the rock wall and fell backwards, until he landed on the floor. The purple-eyed boy rubbed his head, feeling a painful pang go through his temples. The pain was sharp, almost paralyzing, but as he felt it he knew it couldn't be real. It wasn't a physical wound, but just a deceptive signal, an echo that his mind sent to make the path of the divine path even more realistic.

An annoying signal that added to the strong dizziness caused by the time spent there. After all, that place was nothing more than a projection of his subconscious, a labyrinth that took tangible form. He forced himself to ignore the discomfort and concentrated on the failure of his technique. Why hadn't the etheric pulse worked? What was blocking his power? Without giving up, Shirei prepared for another attempt: he closed his eyes, regulated his breathing, and tried to connect to the Interworld, trying to immerse himself in that dimension that was once familiar to him. But every effort proved in vain.

The only explanation must be that I’m not supposed to do it.

Shirei began to understand the way his journey was working. It was like a level to beat. One of the powers of Cragar's sons was geokinesis, the control of the earth and its materials. In other situations, he might have used ‘spectral travel’, but mastering a different aspect of his divine heritage could always be useful to him.

So the path wants to direct me towards geomancy.

It was a skill left aside, almost forgotten, because he had never really needed it.

And which I overlooked for no reason.

Used to solving problems with ‘spectral travel’ or other techniques he mastered with ease, he had never invested the time and effort needed to truly understand the latent strength in his hands. Faced with the wall that refused to collapse under his command, the demigod tried to justify himself: in other circumstances he would have simply crossed the obstacle with his spectral travel, completely avoiding the effort of facing his limits. But at that moment, the divine path demanded more, and Shirei would get nowhere if he continued to pile up worthless excuses. He bitterly realized that his laziness and his habit of looking for the easy way out had made him vulnerable, unable to fully exploit his potential. The double's words, which had warned him of his hidden weakness, began to resonate with new clarity. Shirei realized that the real obstacle was not the wall in front of him, but his own reluctance to face what he didn't know.

He was right, he was weak because he hadn't bothered to explore that power, only because he had mastered a better one.

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

I never bothered to think what I would have done if the spectral travel had been prevented.

Shirei sighed and leaned against the wall with a new realization.

He stretched out both hands to the wall and channeled the mana he felt within himself. He let his will extend to the wall and let the particles act as a vector. The order was clear: let me pass.

The rock wall trembled, vibrated with mana, and then slowly began to fall apart like a barrier made of children's blocks.

A new passage opened before him, a tunnel that went deep into the mountain. The purple light began to shine again, showing him the way forward.

The son of Cragar continued along the path, guided by the purple light that danced at his feet like a lighthouse in a sea of fog. Each step took him deeper, until he found himself facing a second wall of rock. Without hesitation, he placed his hands on the cold, rough surface, summoning mana in an attempt to repeat the operation that had worked before. He closed his eyes, focusing on the energy flowing within him, and commanded the wall to collapse to allow him to pass through. But this time, nothing happened. The wall remained intact, motionless, as if immune to his efforts. Shirei had hoped to repeat the success of the first obstacle, but that second wall was different, more resistant, almost impenetrable. Even as he repeated the process, he felt the connection to the rock break, the mana dissipating without producing any effect. He realized that the test was much more complex than he had assumed.

Intrigued, Shirei placed his hands on the wall again, this time gently. He closed his eyes, focusing on the tactile sensations. That's when he felt it: a slight symbiosis with what he was touching. The wall this time was not like the previous one. It was thick, incredibly thick to be crumbled.

So this is how far I can go in my current state? Must I first master this power and then return here?

He stopped to think.

Then why didn't the Calm Sovereign stop me? He should be able to hear my thoughts. There would be no point in keeping me locked up here if I can't proceed...

Shirei looked at the wall, realizing that he couldn't rely on geokinesis: his abilities were still too rudimentary to overcome such a barrier. The only way through was spectral travel, a power he knew well, one that had helped him countless times.

I just have to hope it works this time…

He breathed deeply, summoning the shadows that began to envelop him, like a dark cloak ready to drag him into the Interworld. He felt the familiar tingling along his skin, the splitting sensation that always preceded the passage into the spiritual realm.

It's working.

He prepared himself for the transition, for the moment when his body would dissolve into the stormy sea. But just when he was about to disappear, something went wrong. The shadows dispersed, pushed back by a force he couldn't understand, and Shirei found himself in his physical form, stranded and helpless. The failure hit him like a punch in the stomach, leaving him stunned. He couldn't explain what had happened, but the truth was clear: ‘spectral travel’, at that moment, was no longer a technique in his favor.

The oppressive silence enveloped Shirei like a shroud, while the young demigod stared blankly at his trembling hands. Failure burned inside him like an unquenchable fire, fueled by frustration. He had tried to use his powers, to call upon that strength that usually flowed through his veins like a raging river, but nothing had happened. Shirei closed his eyes, trying to calm the turmoil that was stirring his soul. The heavy breathing echoed in the dark cave, bouncing off the rock walls like mocking laughter.

Slowly, as his heartbeat calmed down, the boy began to reflect on the situation. It couldn't be a coincidence that his powers had abandoned him at that moment.

He's testing me further, he murmured to himself, his voice hoarse from the long silence. I still don't understand the meaning of it, but it's okay.

He had to start over, rediscover the source of his powers as if it was the first time. It was the only way out.

He closed his eyes again, but this time not out of desperation. He focused on his breathing, letting the slow, steady rhythm lull him into a state of deep calm. Shirei knew very well the feeling of pure energy that flowed through his veins when he made contact with the Interworld, it wouldn't have been difficult to replicate it.

Seconds passed, turning into minutes and maybe hours. Shirei remained still, ignoring the sharp pain in his head and the overwhelming sense of confusion due to the time passing on the path. He wondered how much time had passed in the real world and whether his companions were safe.

All I can do is hope for the honesty of the Calm Sovereign.