As Tom found himself in the Realm of Yul, he found himself thinking back on the sequence of events that led him there.

If he was being honest, knocking Alaan out had been the difficult part. Although the Soul Power required to use Active Shroud—Maya on him was higher than what had been required for Professor Neliel, there was only so much subconscious resistance he could offer when he was knocked out on the ground in the real world.

The blurriness of the world made it too alien an experience for Tom not to notice that something was very wrong with the world he was in and discovering the lanyard he was always wearing regardless of whose maya he transgressed into was only a matter of time after that.

Regrettably, that meant Tom could call upon a very small portion of Alaan’s memories, beyond who he was and what he remembered as he walked down the Academy’s halls with a friend at his either side.

It was a trade-off, but one Tom didn’t mind making in the slightest. After losing his way in Zirel’s Maya and relying on his sub-skill Home-bound to rescue him from believing he was and always had been Zirel Cowan Nottrakon, Tom was certain that he did not wish to repeat that experience unless it was completely unavoidable.

However, after Tom let the Realm of Yul whisk him away, he was confronted with an entirely different challenge.

It made sense to him now, why Alaan Zenari had been able to fight back and hell, almost escape the ambush he had so painstakingly set out for him.

For before Tom, in the vast expanse of the sea of stars that he found himself overlooking, were over a hundred bright bronze stars and perhaps two or three dozen Lunar Silver stars. Naturally, however, such an occurrence, while enough to surprise him, was not quite enough to shock him.

No, that credit went to not one, but an audacious seven Astral Gold stars nestled in the furthest reaches of the sprawling void.

“I expected two or three, maybe four…,” Tom trailed off with a blank look, any further words he had resting on his lips snatched away by the sheer disbelief he felt.

A single one of those Astral Gold stars had turned out to possess enough information to alter the direction of a silently brewing civil war.

What could seven do?

“Do I even want to find out?” Tom asked himself, seeing no reason to filter himself while Alaan Zenari’s consciousness slumbered.

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He wasn’t sure. Astral Gold stars possessed knowledge that its keeper greatly treasured and valued. It could be a pathway to great power but at the same time, as he had seen with Professor Neliel, it was possible for important knowledge to come with a great responsibility.

Thankfully, Tom had no need to answer the question just now. His Active Shroud—Maya ability only allowed him to absorb the knowledge contained in a single star, regardless of its rarity. And once he used Maya on a person, he could never use it again on them.

“Now, onto the real problem,” Tom grumbled under his breath as he considered the vast distance he had to cross. “How am I supposed to pick out the right darn star?”

He was pretty sure that something as difficult to master and as potent as the Greater Control Glyph would have to be an Astral Gold star.

Perhaps that was why Alaan had first managed to use his Soul Card to first evade his opening strike by leaving a light reflection of himself behind and then followed up with a completely different application of the card as he focused its effects on his fists alone, increasing the speed of his punches greatly and augmenting his strength to a reasonable degree.

What about the other six, then? Were they other Glyphs? Political Secrets like blackmail material? Or something else entirely.

“I really only have one thing I can try,” Tom shrugged, before willing himself forward through the vast expanse.

Through his entire, relatively easy journey across the Bright Bronze stars, Tom kept on calling upon the Control Glyph he knew. He channeled it repeatedly, even when there was no physical manifestation to prove his success.

He felt no resonance from the nearby stars, but that didn’t deter him.

Getting through the Lunar Silver stars consumed his mental resilience at a far faster rate than Professor Neliel’s had, destroying his carefully constructed attempt to pace himself.

“I really have…. just one shot.. at this,” Tom muttered, his head reeling from the strain he had put it under.

‘Please work,’ Tom pleaded, as he activated the Control Glyph again.

It was only for a brief moment, an electric tingle buzzing in his mind that snapped his attention to the north-east, or at least, what he perceived as north-east.

The sensation of resonance faded almost as soon as it had arrived, but Tom didn’t think for a second that he had imagined it.

Mustering every ounce of mental strength Tom had remaining, he willed himself forward with a war cry.

His teeth chattered in his jaw, his head spun and tears ran down his chin. Tom knew he was imagining those sensations, but the agony being inflicted on his mind had to be conveyed and he had chosen the way he knew best.

The rejection he felt from the world was intense, but so were the trials he had overcome to get to this point.

Hands outstretched forward, the tips of his fingers finally made contact.

Then, he awoke.