After that, we chatted for a while until the clouds above us started to turn dark. I excused myself to go home, and the duke didn't mind. By the time I reached the house, the rain began to fall — heavy, almost unnatural, as if the sky itself was weeping. Something about it felt wrong, but I pushed the thought aside.
I sat with my father, eating nothing more than boiled potatoes, before retreating to my room. Lying face-down on the bed, my mind fogged, and before I knew it, I lost consciousness.
Darkness.
The Nothingness returned. Everything was empty, a void swallowing all sound and color. But this time, a voice broke through — the voice of an old man. His tone was rough yet commanding.
"You must grow stronger, faster. The outcome depends on you."
Confusion and fear gripped me. Stronger? Outcome of what?
Then the voice echoed again.
"You are just like her…"
Her? Who was she? My lips trembled, I tried to ask, but no words came. The voice vanished, and the Nothingness began to shatter like glass. In its collapse, I saw a radiant golden aura surging toward me. It pierced through me, filling my body with warmth, and then—
I woke up. In the middle of the night, drenched in sweat, terrified and disoriented. My chest felt heavy. I stumbled outside for air, breathing hard, trying to calm the storm inside me. I remembered the pill my father bought me yesterday to help me sleep, and with shaking hands, I took one. Slowly, I drifted back into uneasy rest.
The next morning, I told my father I wanted to go to the library. He raised a brow, surprised, but after a moment simply nodded. "You know the way, right?" he asked. I smiled faintly and replied, "Yes, Father."
Inside the library, I buried myself in books about magic. At first, nothing seemed special. Then, in the third section, a strange book caught my attention. Its cover bore the mark of a single wing. Something about it drew me in.
It spoke of Etherion — a hidden realm inside every mage's mind, a place where they could grasp their very essence, shape their magic, grow stronger, and change the course of their lives. It said every mage's Etherion was unique, each with its own color, size, and weight.
But then, a line carved itself into my memory forever:
"There exists within Etherion a barrier called the Nothingness. Only the rarest of chosen souls may ever reach it… and fewer still are destined to surpass it. Those who break through are said to wield a power that defies the very laws of magic itself."
My heart raced as I read those words. The Nothingness… the very void I had seen. Could it be the same?
The book explained further: to access Etherion and shape magic, one must imagine it flowing like water through their body, molding it into form. Fascinated, I wanted to try immediately. But before I could read more, the librarian approached.
"The time is up. You must leave now," she said firmly. But the second her eyes fell on me, her expression shifted — she trembled, almost as if she had seen something terrifying.
I closed the book reluctantly and nodded. "Fine."
At home, my father asked, "How was it?"
"It was…" good," I replied, though my thoughts lingered on the book's words.
Later that night, unable to resist, I slipped out quietly into the stillness. Standing in the moonlight, I closed my eyes and remembered the instructions: magic is like water flowing in your body… "Shape it with imagination.
I focused. Slowly, a warmth spread inside me. I envisioned the water forming into a long stick. When I opened my eyes, my breath caught — a purple aura mixed with golden light shimmered in my hand, shaped into a staff.
My heart soared. Excitement consumed me. Following the book's advice, I dissolved it, reversing the flow, and the aura faded.
As for Etherion itself, I had not yet reached the part that spoke of entering it. Still, the Nothingness echoed in my mind. The voice, the golden aura, the book's prophecy.
That night, sleep finally came. But this time, no dream awaited me. Only silence. Peaceful, for now.
The next day, I spent my morning with my mother, helping her with chores around the house. At lunchtime, I told my father that I wanted to return to the library. He raised an eyebrow, surprised that I was going again so soon, but after a short pause, he simply said, "Fine, but don't get lost." I smiled and answered, "Okay, Father."
Once I reached the library, I wasted no time heading straight for the book I had read the day before. The same winged mark still burned with a strange allure on its cover. I opened it again and continued reading about Etherion. This time, it revealed more secrets:
It said that to truly enter Etherion, a mage required not only imagination but also a goal, determination, and unwavering focus. Those who possessed all of these would step into Etherion, unlocking a state that could reshape their destiny.
I felt chills reading those words. Was I ready for this? Did I even have what it took? The thought lingered in my mind as I carefully placed the book back on the shelf, feeling as though the knowledge itself was watching me.
When I returned home, I spent the evening chopping wood until my father came back. We shared dinner together in silence, both of us lost in our own thoughts. Later, I retreated to my room, waiting patiently for the sound of my parents drifting into sleep.
And then—just like the night before—I slipped quietly outside of the house again and walked deep into the forest. The air was cool, and every sound seemed sharper in the silence. My heart was pounding. I needed answers — answers for what had been happening to me, for the voice, for the strange aura.
I stopped between the trees and closed my eyes.
Breathing slowly, I tried to steady my thoughts.
"I need to understand…" I whispered to myself.
And then it began.
Behind my closed eyelids, the darkness shifted. Colors bled into the void — purple swirling with gold — beautiful yet incomplete. The glow spread like mist across an endless space, but it wasn't enough to cover the vast nothingness around it. I kept searching for meaning, reaching inward, but I didn't yet understand. This was my Etherion. At first, it felt like an accident, like I had stumbled into it by mistake.
Still, I pressed on.
The purple and golden hues deepened, forming threads of light that slowly wrapped themselves around me. They were warm, comforting — not threatening, but inviting. For the first time, I felt a strange clarity, like I finally understood why everything felt different, why my nights had been filled with visions. This was no dream. This was a world within me — a world only I could shape.
Instead of chasing answers, I focused.
I pushed my will outward, trying to spread my power across every inch of the Etherion before me. The light responded. The more I concentrated, the more the space around me grew, expanding ever so slightly with each breath.
And then, suddenly, it ended.
I opened my eyes.
The forest returned, the air cool against my skin. The threads of gold and purple had vanished as though they were never there. Yet my heart still raced, my body still warm. When I glanced at my watch, only ten minutes had passed — but in that realm, it had felt like an hour.
Silent and shaken, I walked back home under the whispering trees. I lay on my bed, staring at the ceiling. My mind was still in that other world, replaying everything. Slowly, exhaustion took me, and the quiet of my room returned....
....