The next morning, there was a new beginning on the shelter's cold floor. The dramatic collapse on Epsilon's face was gone, replaced by silent acceptance. The four months ahead of him were like a mountain. But he knew he wouldn't be alone climbing this mountain.
The first week was hell. Epsilon's body struggled to adapt to this long duration. Each meditation session brought pains at depths he'd never felt before. The yamgium accumulated in the darkest corners of his soul was coming out in layers. During this process, Null was like a shadow. There were no words. Only presence. She covered Epsilon with a blanket when he shivered, wiped the sweat from his forehead, silently prepared the water for the purification chamber. Her unwavering, calm presence became the only anchor Epsilon held onto in this storm.
On the fifteenth day, the nature of the pain changed. Physical and spiritual suffering gave way to a more insidious torture: Memories. His father's disappointment-filled gaze in the face of failure, those cold moments when his mother withheld her love, that complex jealousy and love he felt toward his sister... Each session locked him in a different room of his past.
After one session, Epsilon opened his eyes exhausted. "Why?" he whispered to Null. "Why these? I'd already overcome them."
Null was looking at the data tablet in her hand. "Maybe you hadn't," she said calmly. "You'd just covered them up. According to the book, this level isn't just purification, it's also reconstruction. To rebuild a building, you first need to go down to the foundation. And your foundation... is deeper than it appears, Epsilon."
On the thirtieth day, something changed. The energy field in Epsilon's body became visible. During meditation, a faint blue aura glowed around him. On the forty-fifth day, his vision changed. He could now see not only the physical world but also energy fields. He could see the systems within Null, the data flows, those complex logic circuits behind her red eyes. This brought them even closer.
On the sixtieth day, fear came. During meditation, Epsilon began to experience the fear of completely losing himself. "What if I stop being me?" he asked Null. "What if this energy takes me over?"
"I'll watch you," Null had said, placing her hand on his. "I won't let you get lost."
On the hundredth day, the great change occurred. During meditation, Epsilon experienced unusual clarity. The pains of the past, regrets, "what ifs"... All suddenly became meaningless. What does it matter? he thought. That teacher treated me badly, my family didn't understand... So what? These pains brought me here. Made me meet Null. For the first time, he wasn't angry at his past. He was just... indifferent. "I can't change the past," he whispered. "But I can protect the present. I can protect Null." When he opened his eyes, there was a different expression on his face. The gaze of someone who was no longer a victim, but a protector.
And in the last session of the hundred twentieth day, everything changed.
When the meditation ended, Epsilon opened his eyes. But this time he hadn't seen a vision. He'd felt something different. Something wrong.
"Null," he whispered. "Do you feel it?"
Null's eyes were locked on the shelter's ceiling. "Yes. In the structural integrity... there's an abnormality."
At that moment, the shelter's metal walls became transparent momentarily. They could see the rocks outside, the beach, and the sea. The fabric of the universe was slowly unraveling.
"This universe..." Epsilon said in horror. "Is disappearing."
Their minds reached the same information at that moment. This delicate balance the masked entity had established had been disrupted by their such intensive use of Edgium. This rehabilitation universe had completed its purpose and was now collapsing on itself.
"Two months," Null said, her systems calculating probabilities. "We have two months at most."
Panic settled in Epsilon's heart like a block of ice. But then he saw Null's calmness. "The stone," Epsilon said suddenly. "That black stone from inside the capsule."
They both rushed to the table at the same time. Epsilon picked up the smooth, cold stone. This was a key. When he took the stone in his hand, he felt his Edgium energy change. This was no longer just feeling. This was controlling. He closed his eyes and focused the energy on a small metal piece on the table. The metal piece lifted slightly and remained suspended in the air. This was the second stage: Resonance. The ability to understand matter's structure and control it.
"We need to break this," Epsilon said. Null nodded. This was a step with no return. Epsilon took the stone between both hands, focused all his Edgium energy, and squeezed.
The stone exploded with a bright light. Before them stood the masked entity.
"Since you've reached this stage," his voice said, echoing in their minds. "You've accessed Edgium's second level, Resonance. And you've understood this universe is about to cease to exist." The masked entity turned his gaze to Epsilon. "Do you want to die in peace?"
"No."
This time the masked entity turned to Null. "You've also completed your mission. If you wish, you can free yourself now."
Null took Epsilon's hand. "No. Not yet."
The masked entity's face rippled. "Then, within one week you must defeat this being. You can only defeat it together, truly together." In the center of the shelter, a distorted Kaorian warrior formed from dark energy.
"What happens if we win?" Epsilon asked.
"You'll embark on a new journey. But this will bring new challenges."
"What about Null? Can she come with me?"
"If she had a soul, she could come. But doesn't that depend on you?"
Epsilon gripped Null's hand tighter. "Whatever happens, I won't let her disappear here."
"Alright," the masked entity said. "Then prove your worth to me. And you, Epsilon... Remember you said you were tired of purposelessness and wanted a purpose. Was that just talk, or was it real? Show me."
The vision disappeared and the Kaorian warrior lunged at them.
The first days passed in defeat. "Why can't we succeed?" Null asked after another failed attempt days later.
Epsilon answered while lying on the ground. "I... I know the reason. My worries about you. What if I succeed and you... you stay here? This thought always stops me at the last moment."
A complex expression appeared on Null's face. "What matters is your survival. I'm not human."
"No!" Epsilon shouted, jumping to his feet. "I can't see you as an object!" He went to Null and hugged her tightly. "You're the first one to reach out to me in this life. Come with me." He dragged her to an old laboratory inside the shelter. "These nanorobots... We'll embed your consciousness core into them. They'll multiply themselves. In the new universe we cross to, they'll create a new body for you!"
The following days were spent working on this crazy plan. During the days they lost to the Kaorian, at night they reprogrammed the nanorobots. Finally, they succeeded.
When the seventh day came, it was their last chance. Epsilon and Null meditated and completely merged their minds. They were no longer two separate beings, but moved like a single consciousness. When the final battle began, the Kaorian immediately noticed the difference. Before it now was not two opponents, but a single perfect warrior. The battle ended with an energy explosion that shook the entire shelter. The Kaorian collapsed to the ground, accepting its defeat.
But just as they were about to cry out in victory, the Kaorian's body began to glow unstably. It was going to self-destruct.
At that moment, time froze. The masked entity was before them again. "You still haven't understood that to win, you must give up one of you?"
"I'm lifeless," Null said instantly. "You must live."
"No!" Epsilon shouted. "Life without you is meaningless! You must live!"
When time began to flow again, they both knew what to do. They turned to each other and for one last time, hugged tightly.
The shelter filled with a blinding light that consumed everything...