It isn't a place, not in the conventional sense. It is an expanse. Not empty space, but a space that feel profoundly significant, weighted with unspoken purpose. The 'ground' beneath him fading path is not solid earth, or even the strange substance of the path itself, but a surface that shimmered with the same light as the nebulae above, yet feel utterly firm. It is like walking on solidified starlight, on compressed cosmic energy.
The mist gone, replace by an atmosphere clear as crystal, yet filled with a soft, pervasive light that seem to emanate from everywhere at once. Above and around him, the cosmic view intensified. The galaxies aren't just distant spectacles; they are here. Not physically closer, but somehow present within his perception, their immense scale and intricate structure laid bare. He could almost feel their gravitational pull, the hum of their dark matter halos, the furious energy of their central singularities.
And stretching out from where the path has ended, across this shimmering, star-stuff ground, are structures. Not buildings, not objects, but formations of pure energy, patterns of light and force that pulse with silent power. They aren't static; they flow, they change, they interact with each other in complex symphonious ways that mirror the cosmic dance he has studied. They are... principles. Fundamental laws given form. The scaffolding of reality, made visible.
This is it. The place the Observer has prepared him for. It require not just traversing space, but traversing states of being. The knowledge he had painstakingly acquired isn't meant to be stored in a mind; it is meant to be applied, integrated, lived. He understand, with sudden, overwhelming clarity, that this isn't a waypoint or a final destination. It is a nexus point, a place of convergence, where understanding met action.
The 'half year' deadline isn't about leaving the Realme; it is about becoming ready within this space before something happened here, something that required a being who could navigate and interact with the fundamental forces of the cosmos. And the path beyond beings and creatures? He look down at his hands, then out at the energy structures. He feel the connection to the universe, not as an observer anymore, but as a participant. The boundaries feel less defined. His learned understanding isn't just in his head; it is woven into the very fabric of his existence in this realm.
He isn't just present in this space. He is * attuned* to it. Every lesson, every insight, every moment of frustrated effort trying to grasp the incomprehensible – it has all led to this. To standing on the solid light of creation, amidst the tangible laws of the universe, prepared for... whatever came next. The confusion is gone. The boredom is an ancient memory. There is only the vastness, the potent silence, and the dawning realization that his education is over, and his purpose is about to begin. He has gone forward. Now, he has to discover what he meant to do here. The universe, in all its terrifying beauty and profound mystery, waited. And for the first time, he feel ready to meet it, not as a student, but as something... more.
Okay. Let me try and capture this strange journey. Here goes.
And he forwarded.
It isn't a choice made by will, not in the way a physical body decides to lift a foot or turn left. It is more of an inevitability, a state of being that is forward motion. There is no backwards to see, no face to turn, not even a concept of 'face' or 'back' in that initial, formless state. Just the relentless, singular vector of movement. He doesn't observe, not in the way a mind processes visual data or physical sensations. He simply is, and he moved.
And now, he found himself in this vast expanse.
What would happen now? He doesn't know. The phrase echoed in a space where thoughts feel less like words and more like shifting energies. He has travelled, moved, gone forward without stopping. There is no sense of time passing, only the continuous flow through… well, through whatever this is. It is featureless, monochrome, infinite in its sameness. An ocean of nothing, yet je move through it.
Until he reach an expanse that is different.
The sameness finally broke. The featureless void shifted, giving way to a pervasive, gentle golden light. It isn't harsh or blinding, but warm, pulsating softly, filling the entire space. And here, finally, he stopped. The forward momentum ceased, and he simply existed in this golden glow.
And there are paths. Two paths stretching out ahead of him, breaking the endless monotony.
One path led towards something like a gate, but not made of stone or metal. It is a vortex, a swirling maelstrom of energy, shimmering with colours he couldn't name, even if he'd has the capacity to name them. Around it stood beings. They don't have distinct forms, but radiated an aura of quiet authority, an air of being… officials, perhaps? And towards the vortex, a steady stream of other consciousnesses flowed, like silent rivers merging into a tumultuous sea. They enter the vortex, one by one, dissolving into the swirling energy. It radiate a sense of completion, of process. It looks, feel, like a reincarnation gate.
On the other side, the second path led towards something entirely different. It is a vast mirror, impossibly large, stretching upwards and outwards beyond his non-sight's comprehension. Its surface isn't reflective in the way of glass, but seemed to absorb the golden light, holding it within intricate, glowing golden designs etched across its surface. It radiate a profound stillness, a sense of potential or perhaps, finality.
Golden Holy aura fully spread around the expanses, yes, that is the pervasive light. It wrapped around everything, including him, in this moment of stillness.
This is a path of choosing.
So, what should he choose? The question, clear and sharp, formed within him being. He doesn't know where either path would lead him. One feel like an end of a cycle, a return. The other? An enigma. How could he choose without any information, without any inclination? The uncertainty is a new and unsettling sensation.
He is so engrossed in his thoughts, in the alien feeling of indecision, that he doesn't notice a presence in front of him. Not until it spoke.
"Looks like, here's my need."
A ripple in the golden light coalesced, not into a form he recognized, but into a focal point, an entity. His very being recoiled, a sudden, unfamiliar surge of… panic? Fear?
"Who are you?"
the question burst forth, not in sound, but in resonance.
The presence straightened, seeming to expand slightly, its aura calm and steady against his turmoil.
"No fear,"
it said. Its voice is like soft chimes, but carried an undercurrent of deep power.
"I'm just a path guardian. I maybe can help you."
A path guardian. It made sense, in a strange, illogical way.
"Tell me about the paths,"
he resonated back, feeling a sliver of hope.
"As you can see,"
the guardian replied, gesturing with an imperceptible movement that feel vast,
"there are two paths. One is the vortex of reincarnation, where consciousnesses return to the cycle. And on the other side is the mirror of ______."
"What! What is that?" He feel a jolt, a frustration unlike any he'd experienced in his endless forward drift.
"In the last line, what did you say? Can you say it again?"
The guardian doesn't repeat the word. Instead, its aura brightened slightly, and a quality guardian could only interpret, impossibly, as amusement radiated from it. And then – another impossible thing – he saw it. Not with eyes, for he has none, but he perceived its expression, a subtle shift in its energy that feel like a creep smile.
"You had to listen carefully," it said, the chime-like voice now tinged with finality.
"Our time is over here. Others are also coming." A faint, shimmering trail of golden light appeared behind the guardian, hinting at more consciousnesses approaching this crossroads.
"So you have to go forward in one of these paths. Now."