Something began to form around them. A shimmer. A pulse. Warm and mysterious, like the universe was folding in on itself just for them.
And then-
The rooftop dissolved.
Or maybe it didn't. Maybe it stretched, folded, became something else entirely.
Ray felt the shift before he saw it. A tug behind his ribs, a flicker in his vision, like reality had blinked and taken them with it.
Light enveloped them, not blinding, but infinite. It stretched in every direction, soft and radiant, like standing inside the breath of a star.
Galaxies spun in silence. Nebulae bloomed like cosmic flowers. Planets drifted past, glowing like lanterns in a sea of velvet black.
Ray couldn't speak. Couldn't move. He wasn't sure if he was falling or floating or simply being held in place.
Beside him, Sylen watched with calm eyes, her glow blending into the starlight.
And suddenly they stopped.
Ray takes a breath, only for it to turn into a gasp that finds no air, only a hollow ache. His chest tightens with the lungs seizing on nothing but emptiness. His instincts force him to inhale, but there is nothing to draw.
A sharp, icy burn floods his chest, like needles piercing from the inside. The silence is total, no rush of wind, no echo of breath, just the throb of blood pounding in a skull that already feels far away. Sylen snaps her fingers, just when darkness creeps at the edge of his sight and air slams back in his lungs. The first breath is a ragged, wet gasp that tears through his throat, scorching and cold all at once. His chest convulses, desperate and greedy. Every nerve screams awake, and the universe snaps back into focus, and He is left heaving on all fours on a suspended white platform.
Beyond the viewpoint stretched the infinite void, a realm of cold, glittering silence. Massive planets loomed like watchful sentinels. One, a swirling storm of crimson clouds, another a pale orb veined with icy fissures. Asteroid belts wound through the darkness like scattered jewels, Rings of ice shimmered around a lone gas giant, while a comet streaks across the darkness, its silver tail unraveling like a forgotten dream.
Ray stood and watched the scene in awe for a few minutes. Then Sylen pointed at one planet further ahead.
"Let's go there."
They teleported again, and now they stood in a forest. Trees towered impossibly high and stood apart like vigilant sentinels. Their dense canopies formed a roof of deep green, filtering sunlight into wandering shafts that painted the mossy ground in drifting gold. A gentle wind threaded through the branches, causing leaves to rustle softly, while low bushes swayed with a quiet, watchful tremor.
"Where is this?" Ray asked, admiring the view.
"I don't know," Sylen replied, fluttering around, enjoying the peaceful scenery.
"Should we look around?" Ray asked, a little apprehensive about the unfamiliar environment.
They chose a direction and continued walking, marveling at the forest's splendor. But strangely, there was nothing else in sight. No birds, no animals. After a few minutes, they heard the sound of a waterfall.
They hurried toward it, and there it was: clear water roaring down a cliff with vegetation on the sides. The sound was pleasant, enhancing the serenity of the forest. On top of the side of the cliff, they spotted some houses.
"So, someone lives here after all," Ray said in amazement.
"Should we go say hi? But how do I get up there?" he continued, looking directly at the sun overhead.
"What if they are hostile?" Sylen asked. "I suggest you try cultivating here. The spiritual energy is strong in these parts," she said, glancing around.
"Spiritual energy, huh?" Ray said, taking a deep breath. He could feel the difference between here and back home. The air here felt so pure and almost sweet, unlike Earth's. He guessed it was due to the spiritual energy; he couldn't see it, but he sensed the air contained something he'd never experienced before.
"So, do I sit or what?" he asked, searching for a good spot.
"Yes."
He walked over to a tree surrounded by comfortable-looking grass and sat in a lotus position, mimicking the poses he'd seen in novels and movies. Sylen floated in front of him, glasses perched on her nose, which she gently nudged at the rim. Her cane tapped softly against her other palm with quiet precision. Then she cleared her throat, sharp, deliberate, like a teacher about to begin her lesson.
Cultivation begins with Body Tempering. The strengthening of flesh, bones, and meridians to withstand the flow of qi.
Next comes Qi Sensing, the first moment of contact with ambient spiritual energy.
Then Qi Gathering, where you draw that energy inward, storing it in the dantian like water in a reservoir.
Qi Refinement follows, purifying and condensing the gathered qi. Mist becomes liquid, liquid becomes light.
Meridian Opening: You unblock the body's energy channels, allowing qi to circulate freely and fully.
Foundation Establishment stabilizes the body as a vessel, preparing it for deeper transformation.
Core Formation: All refined energy is compressed into a dense spiritual core, a second heart pulsing with power.
Nascent Soul marks the beginning of separation, where the soul loosens from the body, gaining autonomy.
Then comes Spirit Severing or Soul Transformation, the cutting of mortal ties and the refinement of the soul into something purer, higher.
Then, Ascension, the breaking of mortal limits, the first true step toward immortality.
"For now, just remember those realms," Sylen said. "Each one has ten stages."
She flicked her wrist, and a book dropped onto Ray's lap with a soft thud. A thick gray tome, plain and heavy, its cover etched with some letters: River of Aeon's Path.
Ray turned it over in his hands. Despite the strange aura it gave off, like something half-asleep but watching, it looked simple and Ordinary.
"What is this?" he asked, opening it.
Sylen shrugged. "I had it. So, I guess it's meant for you."
He read the first line on the first page. Then again. And again.
Something was wrong.
He could see the letters clearly. They weren't foreign, but the meaning, whatever it was, slipped away the moment it touched his mind. Like trying to catch mist with bare hands.
He frowned, looked up at Sylen, then back at the book. Focused harder.
Seconds passed.
Then came the pain.
A slow, increasing pressure behind his eyes. Like his brain was trying to stretch around something too vast, too old.
"Maybe you'll be able to read it once you start cultivation," Sylen said, hovering beside him.
"Can you read it?" Ray asked
"Yes. But if you can't read it, then my reading it for you won't work. "
Ray flipped through a few pages, gave the book a sniff, held it up to the sunlight. Nothing. No hidden glow, no secret ink, no sudden enlightenment. Just a thick tome with words that refused to stick. He set it aside with a sigh and turned to Sylen.
"So... I start with body tempering?" he asked. "Do I just do push-ups or something?"
His tone carried a hint of disappointment. He'd hoped for something flashier, mystic symbols, glowing veins, maybe a sudden burst of power. Instead, it sounded like he was about to enroll in a cosmic gym.
"Yes, I can assist with strengthening your body," Sylen said. "But for now, focus on meditating, on feeling the qi around you, in the air, in objects."
She floated upward, scanning the surroundings with quiet intent.
"I sense a few things nearby that could help reinforce your physical form," she murmured.
Then she drifted down behind him, her presence calm and steady. Her hands rested lightly on his back.
"Let's begin with sensing qi," she said. "I'll help. Just relax, completely, and clear your mind."
He sat still, spine aligned, breath slow. What would be so hard about meditating? A few minutes passed. The world around him faded, not vanished, just softened, like someone had turned down the volume on reality.
At first, there was nothing. Just silence. Just breath.
Then, something shifted.
Not outside, but within.
A flicker. A pulse. Like a thread tugging gently from the center of his chest, stretching outward into the air, into the earth, into something vast and invisible.
The grass beneath him felt warmer. The wind slower. His skin tingled, not from cold or heat, but from awareness. As if the space around him had noticed him back.
He didn't see light. He didn't hear music. But there was movement. Subtle. Like currents beneath still water.
The qi wasn't loud. It didn't roar or rush. It whispered.
It curled around his breath, danced along his spine, pooled in his palms like liquid moonlight. It felt ancient. Patient. Alive.
Ray opened his eyes slowly, unsure if he'd been gone for seconds or centuries.
He didn't speak. He didn't need to.
The world had changed. Or maybe he had.