As he gazed at the dangerous silver mirror in his hands, Verus’s thoughts turned back to his time at the Great Wind Sect’s main temple, and to what he’d learned in his theology classes in particular. Deep down, he knew he had a strong attunement to an element. He could feel its shape when he meditated now, but he could never pin it down. He had no idea how to discover its nature either. It was unlikely that he’d make any progress by going through the channeling techniques in the book he’d gotten from the library. That would take far too long, if his element was even in the book at all.

Exploring the Reaches had also exposed Verus to many different types of ki, but he didn’t think he’d sensed any he was attuned to. Further exploration was also unlikely to help him much either, unless he got extraordinarily lucky. In a perfect world, he’d have plenty of time to discover his attunement, but if such a world existed under the endless heavens, he certainly didn’t live on it. No, he needed to find his own way if he wanted to catch up to his peers and fulfill his potential. To be an elder, he needed to seize his destiny. For his entire life he’d been too passive. He’d been taught that was the proper way, but Escora had shown him the folly of that route.

The mirror in his hands would allow him to gaze into the eternal plane, where all ki came from. According to Elder Gerath, who taught theology, every cultivator was connected to the eternal plane and they were most strongly connected to areas full of ki they were attuned to. The Lightbringer-trained Elder had been very clear about that. If Verus could look into the eternal plane, wouldn’t that reveal his attunements?

The very idea was insane, and would most likely kill him, but it might be his only chance. Everyone would advise him against doing this. They’d try to take the mirror, so he’d have to do this now, before leaving the Reaches.

Verus hesitated and closed his eyes. He didn’t fear death. It was life that scared him, especially one filled with uncertainty and failure. The looks people gave him… He couldn’t stand that. As an ascetic, he should be able to overcome those feelings, but it was so difficult.

There was a slight stirring within Verus. Power, something whispered. Seeking power would grant control and enlightenment. That was righteousness. That was what duty demanded. Verus felt the sensation echo through him and knew his battle focus would protect him. But would it be enough? Even a brief peek into the eternal plane could destroy him utterly in mind and body. It wasn’t something a cultivator of his Realm should even be considering for a moment, but neither was fighting demons. He’d survived that and grown stronger.

He would do it. He’d go slowly and try to play it safe, but he wasn’t going to talk himself into doing nothing.

Opening his eyes, Verus stared into the mirror as he cycled his ki into it. The mirror drank of him gladly, shimmering with power. Verus saw his reflection fade away as the mirror glowed with pure light. Then, the light from the artifact enveloped him, turning the world white before he could react.

Startled, Verus fell back, only to realize he was floating. The ground was gone. There was only a shimmering silver rectangle in front of him that vaguely resembled the mirror, except now it was the size of a door. Was this some sort of illusion, or had he left his body behind somehow?

Verus studied the doorway for a moment, but then he realized he was slowly being pulled toward it. He tried to stand and fight the pull, but everything he did failed. A few seconds later, the young disciple was dragged into the silver mirror by the unseen force. Even his attempt to grab the edges of the mirror were futile, as his fingers passed right though them. No! He’d only wanted to look through the mirror, but he’d already lost control of what was happening. A cold fearful sensation filled him, and he knew this had been a mistake.

As his head passed through the mirror, Verus suddenly found himself amidst a storm of spinning colors. Was this ki? As the colors raged, he felt himself falling at a high speed, although there was no clear up or down. Vertigo and nausea assailed him as he flailed around in a futile attempt to orient himself, but he didn’t retch. It seemed that wasn’t possible here.

Verus’s thoughts went wild and he began panicking. Intense pressure and heat pressed down on him from all sides, burning and crushing him. He gasped and whimpered, unable to orient himself. The pain was incredible, like he was being suffocated in burning ash. It was like nothing he’d ever experienced. No, wait. The dream Verus had experienced a few nights ago flashed through his mind. This was very similar to that in many ways, but not nearly as bad. He still had his form and identity. Both protected him.

This realization strengthened Verus’s spirit and he began cycling his ki. He felt the pressure and heat grow more tolerable. Then, his fall seemed to slow until he came to a complete stop. His feet touched an invisible floor, allowing him to gain his balance and examine himself. Verus stared down at his hands. They were partially transparent. It seemed he really wasn’t here in body. This was simply a projection of his spirit through the mirror.

But where was he? Was this the eternal plane? Even thinking was difficult. His head felt stuffed, and his surroundings were far too chaotic for him to look at properly. It was all swirling colors. The heat and pressure weren’t gone either. He could still feel them wearing him down. It was agonizing, and he knew that they’d eventually tear him apart. Verus could feel his ki core struggling to protect him, but it wouldn’t last long. There was also something else working to keep the heat at bay, but it was panicking. Terrified thoughts slid through his mind, incomprehensible but still distracting.

A part of Verus recognized this place and was frightened by it. It screamed that it was dangerous, but Verus had come here for a purpose. He recognized this voice as belonging to his battle focus. No, it was more than just a state of mind, far more. It had knowledge and intent. He needed a better name for it. The Warrior would work for now. It was resisting him. That needed to stop.

“I must find my strength. Duty demands it!” Verus shouted into the burning storm. The sound of his own voice surprised him as it echoed out into infinity.

The Warrior relented, falling quiet, but Verus could sense it was still wary. At the same time, his surroundings began to change, causing him to stiffen in apprehension as a thought occurred to him. Maybe he shouldn’t have yelled in here. Perhaps he wasn’t as alone as he’d thought.

The flashing colors faded into a white haze. Like he was standing in a cloud. However, Verus felt a new pressure fall upon him. Attention. Something had noticed him. A rippling stream of light appeared in the haze. Dozens of them. Unlike the chaotic lights from before. These ones followed a pattern. They moved with purpose, circling him and drawing closer, like snakes through the grass.

As they swam, the streams of light hissed and crackled. Were these spirits? They seemed hostile.

Startled, Verus raised his hands to defend himself. Instinctively, he also extended his senses. That was a mistake. The haze around him evaporated before his ki senses, revealing a vast ocean of ki that stretched on seemingly forever. It was far from empty. Countless spirits of all shapes and sizes swam through it, and many were looking his way. All of a sudden, Verus could feel their regard. The pressure on him doubled and kept rising. It was too much. A million alien eyes bore into him as he burned. Each and every one was different, and some were terrible beyond imagining. Horrible and hungry. They swam through the eternal plane like ship-eating leviathans. Others dwarfed anything Verus had ever imagined, floating like moons up above, but twisted upon themselves in impossible ways that hurt to look at.

Then the whispers began. A mad chorus of incomprehensible voices. Shrieking and gibbering nonsense assaulted Verus, tearing into his mind. None of the voices made sense, but he understood their horrible intent regardless. They promised power, secrets and dark enlightenments that would allow him to destroy his enemies and seize everything he wanted, even as they ate him alive from within and replaced his soul with something monstrous. But even that would be a blessing, for then the pain would finally end.

Whimpering, Verus could feel his mind begin to crack as his thoughts grew frenzied and jagged. He simply couldn’t comprehend what he was seeing and hearing in this horrible place. How could things like these exist? He was insignificant to them. Everything he knew was insignificant. His existence was a joke. It was all meaningless. There was only pain and a pointless death. The Warrior struggled to shield Verus’s thoughts, but it was failing.

Nothing could save him now. Nothing would ever want to, for he was worthless…. One lost soul among countless trillions. Each as pathetic as the last. Each doomed to be devoured.

Verus lost his sense of self. He felt it slip away, robbing him of his ability to feel anything else. It was a mercy. He floated there, a single moment away from total destruction as the predators descended to feast on his remains.

Then, the eternal plane shuddered as a sound like a sole distant trumpet was heard, clear and sweet. The ki swirled and raged with sudden force as something emerged from above. The nearby spirits were thrown aside and banished as golden light descended, like a spear through the heart of darkness. The light bathed Verus in its brilliance. Even the greatest of monstrosities was pushed back. They roared in defiance but couldn’t force their way into the light. For now, they were held at bay.

The light hummed with emotion and intent as it embraced Verus and went to work. Cradling him like a lost child, it slipped into his mind to reconnect scattered thoughts and flooded into his soul to pull it back together. It examined what it found, reading his intent and purging memories of the eternal plane he couldn’t comprehend. Those would only damage him.

Verus stared into the golden brilliance with new eyes, overwhelmed and awestruck. It was too vast to understand, but achingly familiar. He sensed great joy and terrible sadness. Great power and unescapable pain. The pain infuriated Verus. He wanted to cry and hold tightly to the light forever. He needed it. It was his everything. He couldn’t lose it again. This was why he fought.

However, the light was already growing weaker and some of the great predatory spirits were redoubling their efforts to get to their prey. Thus, the being in the golden light pushed Verus away toward that which he’d come seeking. It could only do so much for him, but it could do this.

The eternal plane raged around Verus as he began falling again. Even as the light vanished, he was pulled by some connection he didn’t understand. Drawn deeper into the eternal until he found himself somewhere entirely new. A vast void. Healed, but terribly alone, Verus simply blinked and floated there, overwhelmed and numb.

Terrible desolation filled him. He felt hollow now that the being in the light was gone, but it had left him with an impression. It had brought him here for a purpose. A gift. He didn’t want to disappoint it, so he uncurled himself and looked around.

There was nothing. Truly nothing.

Empty blackness surrounded Verus. It was an endless expanse of nothing. Still overwhelmed, he stared in confusion. Why had he been brought here?

Then, the void began to resonate with him. His core vibrated along with it, harmonizing with his surroundings. Ki began to be drawn into him, flowing smoothly and freely. This was solace. Here, he could truly be alone and safe. Here, he was untouchable and there were no worries. No unwanted spirit could find him. It was the ultimate solution. The final ending of fear, of all things.

Something stirred nearby, awakening to life as Verus’s spirit expanded outward. Verus exalted in the feeling and wanted to simply bask in the ki and let it consume all his worries and memories, but it was not to be. Without warning, someone grabbed his spirit tightly by the shoulders and yanked him back through the mirror and into his physical body. He was powerless to resist.

Behind him, Verus left an expanse of the eternal plane that had been churned into a frantic sea of activity. A million spirits whispered and a thousand gods stirred. Some retreated in fear, intimidated by the power displayed. Many began to spread word of these happenings all throughout existence, trading the knowledge to both other spirits and powerful immortals. Others turned their gazes to what had yet to come, in an attempt to see how fate and fortune had changed. They sought to discover if these happenings could safely be turned to their advantage.

One ancient being acted immediately, throwing caution to the wind, as was its nature. Fortunately, it had agents and resources already placed nearby. They simply needed new instructions. Reaching out, the unknowable existence touched the minds of several mortals located on the physical plane. Some were aware of this and rejoiced at the favor of their god, others were completely ignorant of the manipulation. This would throw all its existing plans into disarray, but that was fine. The greater the risk, the greater the opportunity. And this was an incredible chance to spread chaos to areas that had long resisted its blessing.

Something very like satisfaction filled the ancient being as it turned to examine the new unfolding futures it had put into motion. The possibilities extended into infinity, but few could match its skill at forecasting and manipulating the threads of fate. As it gazed into the yet to be, a hundred previously peaceful worlds burned in the wake of the herald it would unleash. Soon.