Boundary of the Universe
John was still floating on the vein of the Law of Freedom, trying to gradually comprehend how it could be used.
"It's so hard," John said, exasperatedly.
"How am I meant to learn to use a law when I can't even move?" he continued.
Then it hit him—he needed to start with movement.
If freedom is the concept of being free, I can't be free without being able to move.
As if answering him, the vein pulsed, and information about how to move his soul appeared from the other information already in his mind, clearing it up. Or perhaps it could be said the knowledge had always been there—it just now allowed itself to be free.
"So that's how it is," John said as he raised his spectral arms to his face and smiled.
Now he could move.
"Now I understand how this works. The more I understand what freedom is, the more the fog on the information transferred to me is cleared," he said, smiling like a boy seeing Santa for the first time.
"Then let's begin."
John's journey of understanding began with the simplest things—movement. Once he could move his spectral form freely, he discovered he could accelerate, decelerate, and even hover without effort. The void itself seemed to bend slightly to his will, responding to thoughts he hadn't even realized he had.
Next came perception. John learned to see beyond ordinary sight, sensing the threads of the universe, the lifeblood of stars, and the paths connecting distant planets. Colors and shapes that had been meaningless now spoke to him, each pulse of light carrying information.
Then came interaction. He stretched his soul toward distant matter and felt it respond. Rocks, floating debris, even beams of cosmic energy bent and swirled as if acknowledging his presence. With each experiment, the Law of Freedom whispered new possibilities.
John tested his limits, attempting feats that would have shattered lesser souls. He altered the flow of time around him, slowing it to observe events in microscopic detail or speeding it up to see entire worlds evolve in seconds. He felt the pushback from the universe, the resistance of abstract rules, but he persisted. Pain came with every mistake, yet each failure clarified the Law further.
He experimented with creation and erasure, shaping energy into forms and dissolving them at will. He realized freedom was not just motion or manipulation—it was choice without limitation, the ability to exist without constraint.
He practiced again and again, until control became instinctual. Every fiber of his being aligned with the Law. The void no longer seemed infinite; it was a canvas, a playground, a home. The information that had once been foggy and incomprehensible now flowed through him effortlessly.
Finally, after what felt like eons compressed into moments, John paused. He looked at his own soul—and froze.
"What… is happening to me?"
A soft warmth spread through him, pulsing in rhythm with his thoughts. Light began radiating from his essence, gentle at first, then brighter, stronger, until his entire being glimmered with a radiant, golden shine. Not just any gold—it gleamed with a richness and majesty that made it feel… royal, as if his soul had been crowned by the universe itself.
This… this is incredible, John thought, staring at his own glowing form. "I can feel it… the Law isn't just around me—it's inside me. Every choice, every thread of reality, every path I could take… it's all mine. I'm free. Truly free."
He flexed his golden essence in awe. "It's like… I'm a king of the void, but no throne, no crown, just this… endless possibility. I can see everything, sense everything, and… I feel… complete. I've finally become who I was meant to be."
His soul pulsed with newfound power, its golden glow radiating outward, illuminating the surrounding void. He felt regal, unstoppable, yet at peace—a perfect balance of majesty and serenity. John smiled to himself, a quiet laugh echoing inside his mind.
So this is what it means to master the Law of Freedom…
And in that radiant glow, he knew: this was only the beginning.