Toni was the only one home. He went to his desk and opened the notebook to the page of Traveler’s Formula. The instructions were quite explicit. First, he needed to enter a three-layer meditative state. The first layer was the Present Moment Awareness. It focused on paying attention to everything. Toni closed his eyes and concentrated on the sensations in his body, the thoughts in his mind, and the noises coming to his ears.

The inscriptions mentioned that upon full immersion in that layer, the person would be able to capture everything at once. It took Toni half an hour to achieve it.

Darkness beyond the Origin, Light beyond the sky that glows.

Shrouded in the Mystery of Fate, is where my humble abode hallows.

Toni silently chanted in his mind. He felt his level of concentration increase. It was time to enter the second layer, Focused Intention. He must now focus on a single thought and rid his mind of others. Toni took ten minutes to consecrate his mind with one directive, going back home. With a single intention in mind, he could continue the incantation.

In the name of every Traveler before,

I pledge myself to protect this sacred palace from the Obscure.

It was time for the last step. The third and final layer, Transcendence. It was the ultimate level of meditation where the mind goes into a transcendental state. It goes beyond the intellect and pride, beyond space and time. The notion of self is foregone and is replaced by a sense of universality.

Toni struggled to reach that state. Despite the boost the previous two layers added to his concentration and meditative ability, it took him five hours to reach the state of Transcendence. He felt a sensation he’d never experienced before. He was worried he may not remain in that state for long, so he chanted the final lines.

I now beseech thee! Unlock your Door from deep within

And provide me with a sanctuary sovereign.

After reciting the last part, Toni was trembling with excitement. His hope something would happen was high.

He felt a bizarre sensation in his mind. It was as if it was being pulled away. Toni didn’t fight it and went with the flow. His body grew considerably lighter and was very relaxed. He slowly opened his eyes.

Dammit!

He was familiar with the scenery around him. The mysterious space. He had returned to the mysterious space, the place he heard the voice telling him he was a traveler. The endless darkness below was still there. The brightness above also remained from his last visit.

Why did I come back here? I had hoped for the formula to send me back to my world. Wait. I was here before I went into Ansel’s body. Maybe I can still go back home.

Toni looked around, exploring the place. However, no matter where he directed his attention, he encountered the same scenery. It was as if the space had no end to it. He noticed the numerous clouds in the sky. The moment he thought of them, a cloud descended at his feet. Toni couldn’t explain it, but he instinctively knew he could sit on it. He realized he could control the cloud with his mind, and he lifted himself up toward the sky.

He looked down and realized he had been mistaken. He originally thought below was pitch black, but he saw small dots of light within the darkness. Sitting on his cloud, he descended toward the darkness. He didn’t get close before he lost sight of the lights within. He also noticed that the cloud wouldn’t get closer than five meters from the darkness. No matter how he willed the cloud to descend further, it wouldn’t budge. Toni also realized it was at that level that he could walk within the space. It was as if there was an invisible floor.

He ascended again with the cloud and looked at the lights within the darkness. He focused his attention on them. He felt his mind could connect somehow with the dots. He concentrated on a particular point of light and tried to interact with it. He used the second layer, Focused Intention, of the meditative state he just learned. His thought reached its target to pull it out of the darkness. He felt an acute pain in his mind like several hot needles were piercing it. In his agony, he inadvertently directed his mind to a nearby dot. The pain intensified. He felt like his mind was about to break. He quickly exited the meditative state. To his surprise, two spheres of light were floating above the darkness.

In Zongo, the biggest city in Kemura, a teenager was sitting on his bed while playing with a trinket. The room was vast and the bed could easily fit five adults. His long curly black hair was resting on his shoulder. His name was Lars Ashford.

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“Grandpa said this lamp could grant me any wish. Why isn’t it working?”

He was manipulating the antique lamp in his hands from all angles while spewing some commands.

“Grant my wish, lamp.”

“Show me your power. I have a wish for you to grant.”

“I will break you if you don’t grant my wish.”

“Did Grandpa lie to me? No, he wouldn’t. This lamp is broken then.”

He threw the trinket on the floor, watched it roll away, and crashed against a wall. He was about to call one of his family's numerous servants to come take care of his mess when a faint light enveloped his body.

“What is this?”

OoOoOo

A multi-deck flying vessel was hovering above the Yellow Sea. It looked like a boat with turbines at the front and rear for propulsion. The wind was strong, causing many turbulences. There were several people on deck going by their business. Many of them showed no sign of being bothered by the bumpy ride. They were experienced men and women who had accustomed themselves to life on a flying ship.

There was a woman inside a cabin standing alone and looking at a map. Her brown hair was tied in a simple ponytail. She wore dark blue pants and a long black coat. The woman was known as Nina Pierce. She put her hand on the map.

“I need to find more supplies.” She said to herself.

As she was thinking of options to solve her problem, a dim light appeared around her body. She closed her eyes. What she saw when she reopened them surprised her greatly. She was in a strange place with darkness below her feet and a dazzling sky filled with clouds above her head. She found another person in the space shrouded in the same light as her. The intensity of the light concealed most of the person’s features. She could only make up the general figure and concluded it was a man.

Lars also noticed the woman. She had come right after him to this mysterious place. Both of them looked at each other. They heard someone clearing their throat. The noise seemed to come from above. They lifted their heads and saw a person sitting on a cloud. The brightness of the sky combined with the clouds around made it impossible for them to see clearly who the person was. Based on the general figure they could perceive, they concluded it was likely a man.

Toni was also surprised by the events taking place. After he had interacted with two of the lights in the darkness, two people somehow appeared in this space. He had no idea of what was going on. But he was sure they were here because of him.

“I apologize for my bluntness but where are we?” Lars asked.

“Did you summon us here? Why?” Nina also inquired.

Sitting on his cloud, Toni was pondering his next course of action. The questions his guests asked were legitimate. However, he also didn’t know much about the situation. There was little he could tell them. He could perceive mixed feelings from the two. Among their surprise, apprehension, and curiosity, their fascination was the strongest. Toni understood. If he were in their place, he would feel the same.

Though he wasn’t from this world, he could tell what was happening was a unique occurrence. His instincts were telling him he shouldn’t let the two know he was as clueless as them. After all, he seemed to have some control in this space. He remembered the voice who talked to him when he first appeared here. The unidentified voice called the place Toni’s Domain and was somewhat surprised he or she could not enter it.

This is my Domain. I have some power in here.

Toni wanted to modify his voice. He desired a deeper voice, more grave to portray himself as a powerful being. He entered the Focused Intention state with that single thought in his mind. He felt a weird sensation in his throat and decided to clear it. The noise was very deep. The two people before him tensed up.

“I was merely conducting a little experiment,” Toni said in a monotone voice with no emotions.

A little experiment? This is an experiment? And a little one? What would be considered a big experiment then? Whoever he is, he must be incredibly powerful. I wish I had the ability to conduct such experiments. I’m happy to be a part of it though. Lars thought excitedly. His body language was giving away his thoughts despite the light shrouding his body.

Nina, on the other hand, showed her maturity by remaining calm and letting nothing transpire of her true emotions.

“Your Excellency, please forgive my rudeness. But how long are you planning on keeping us here?” The teenager asked.

The woman looked in his direction. She was also asking herself the same thing but did not have the teenager's insouciance to directly question the man above them.

Toni examined the teenager closely. Due to the light around his body, he couldn’t make out his appearance, just a general idea. He entered the state of Present Moment Awareness as he took notice of everything around him with more precision. He noticed the light shrouding their body was linked to two dots in the darkness via what looked like a string. The string seemed to be invisible to his guests.

If I cut the string, the light enveloping them will return to their respective dot. And it will probably send them back to wherever they were. Toni hypothesized. For some reason, he was sure his conjecture was the way to return them to where they belonged.

“I don’t intend on keeping you here against your will. As long as you request it, your safe return will be arranged.” Toni answered.

He emphasized the word “safe” to let them know he had no desire to hurt them. And it worked.

“Thank you, your Excellency!” Lars said with relief in his voice.

Nina slightly nodded in acknowledgment.

They seemed to be more relaxed now. Toni noticed.

Maybe I should make them more comfortable.