I stood up from the bed, stretching out my arms. Sleep was a luxury I hadn’t indulged in properly for two days, and my body was beginning to remind me of that. Not that the bed offered much comfort, it’s hard to get any rest lying on your back in a stiff leather jacket. Yet strangely, my muscles didn’t feel stiff. My body was relaxed, but my mind was foggy, sluggish from exhaustion. I couldn’t keep pushing myself like this. Projecting every day was starting to take its toll.

  With a sigh, I disassembled my broom spear, carefully removing the knife and stowing it back in its proper place. A quick shower helped me shake off some of the grogginess. The warm water cascading down my body was invigorating, a rare moment of physical simplicity that felt grounding after so much time spent in the astral. Afterward, I headed to the kitchen to make myself a proper breakfast; coffee, toast, eggs, the works.

  I wolfed it all down, savoring the rich flavors and the burst of energy they gave me. As I ate, I decided to try activating my skills again, starting with Inspection. I closed my eyes, focusing on the familiar sensation of energy flowing through me. The surge was there, I could feel it, like a current humming just below the surface but nothing happened. I clenched my fists, trying to force the skill to manifest, but it was like hitting an invisible wall. No matter how hard I pushed, it just wouldn’t come.

  Frustration bubbled up inside me. It should work. There was no reason for it to fail. Yet something intangible was blocking it, something I couldn’t understand. I went through the list of my skills, one by one, but the result was always the same: nothing.

  With a heavy sigh, I decided to take a break. I stepped onto the balcony, letting the fresh air wash over me as I leaned on the railing. The world around me felt strangely muted. I had only spent a few hours in the astral, but now, being back in my physical body, everything felt... off. Confining. My flesh felt like a prison, restricting the energy that once flowed so freely. Even the way my senses dulled, the absence of heightened awareness, the inability to perceive every sound or movement was unnerving. I wasn’t sure how to deal with it.

  I sat on the couch and turned on the TV. Fantasy shows had always been my escape, my favorite way to relax and lose myself in another world. I picked my favorite one and settled in, hoping to take my mind off things. But a few minutes in, I felt... hollow. The magic, the mystery, the wonder that once captivated me, it all felt shallow now. Seeing true magic, real magic, had shifted my perception. What once inspired awe now seemed like a cheap imitation.

  I shut the TV off and rubbed my temples. Focus. If I couldn’t rely on distractions, I had to turn inward. Meditation had been useful before, and maybe it could help me now. I decided to meditate on my aura, to try and understand what truly defined me.

  Closing my eyes, I let my thoughts drift. What spoke to me? What felt true to my essence? My mind wandered to the rain, those quiet moments when the world slowed down, softened by the sound of water falling from the sky. It wasn’t really about the rain itself, though. It was the excuse it gave me to be alone, to retreat into my own world without anyone questioning it. Was that my reality? Was my aura shaped by my introversion? The thought felt shallow, incomplete, but there was a spark of something deeper. It was a start.

  I tapped my chin, searching for other things that resonated with me. A starry night sky came to mind. The image was vivid, comforting. The vast expanse of stars felt like order in the midst of chaos, like something eternal and unchanging. It made me feel safe, grounded. But again, the explanation felt hollow. Was it just another excuse to be alone? I couldn’t tell.

  I cycled through other concepts, searching for a deeper truth. Flashy, destructive things like fire, volcanoes, storms, and explosions felt completely wrong. They didn’t resonate with me at all, if anything, they pulled me further from myself. But quieter, subtler ideas, like the ocean, silence, winter felt... right. Like pieces of a puzzle I couldn’t yet see. My aura seemed to react faintly, as if I was brushing against something true.

  I was pulled out of my thoughts by the sound of my phone ringing.

  “Hey, Alex. Mr. Baker said you’re taking a few days off. He’s actually pretty mad about it. Is everything okay?”

  It was Chloe, my coworker and cubicle buddy. We’d always had a friendly rapport, and hearing her voice was a small comfort.

  “Oh, hi, Chloe. Yeah, thanks for calling. Something urgent came up. I’ll be back in a few days, hopefully.”

  “Anything I can help with? And you should probably contact HR. Mr. Baker probably wouldn’t fire you, but, you know, cover your ass.”

  Being fired was the least of my worries right now. If it came to that, I had enough savings to last a few months.

  “You’re right. Things have been hectic, but thanks for checking on me. I really appreciate it.”

  “No worries. Good luck, and let me know if you need anything.”

  “Will do. Have a good day.”

  Chloe’s call brought an unexpected warmth to my chest. Sure, I knew part of her concern was probably tied to the extra workload my absence might dump on her, but even so, it was nice to feel like someone noticed I was missing.

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  After we hung up, I quickly drafted an email to HR, covering my bases just in case.

  Meditating on my aura had been more mentally draining than I’d expected. I decided to switch gears and do something physical instead.

  I changed into workout clothes and headed out. Jogging didn’t appeal to me today, so I decided to check out the gym the barista had mentioned. It had been years since I’d stepped into a gym, so I sat on a bench outside and watched a few videos on basic exercises, just to refresh my memory.

  At the reception, a friendly girl walked me through the paperwork. I opted for a one day trial and skipped getting a coach. The gym was almost empty; a few teenagers clustered near the weights and a handful of individuals scattered around. Perfect.

  After warming up, I headed to the bench press. I started light, adding ten pound weights to the bar. Lifting it felt like nothing, like I was holding a pillow. I did ten reps, then added more weight. And then more. Before I knew it, I was lifting almost 400 pounds.

  I noticed some of the gym goers had stopped their workouts to gawk at me. Even with my baggy clothes hiding most of my improved physique, there was no way to explain how I was managing this kind of weight.

  I smiled awkwardly, set the bar down, and moved on to other exercises, sticking to normal weights this time. A few people approached me, asking for tips. I gave them vague advice about diet and consistency, I couldn’t exactly recommend astral projection as a fitness routine.

  After two hours, I headed back home. I took a quick nap, real dreamless sleep, for the first time in days. It was refreshing, grounding. After dinner, I lay down in bed, ready to project again.

  Velarion greeted me with its usual callousness. "No stick today?"

  It snickered at its own joke, the sound high pitched and oddly grating, a strange tone for a being that might as well be a god.

  "Yeah, yeah. Easy to judge when you’re what, a thousand years old?" I shot back, rolling my eyes.

  The stag snickered louder, its laughter like brittle glass. "Not even close. Anyway, let’s get back to it. You should really work on your skills more."

  "I’ve been thinking," I started, trying to steer the conversation.

  It cut me off immediately. "This should be good."

  Ignoring its jab, I pressed on. "I’ve been thinking, can you take me to a world undergoing unanchoring? I want to see how it happens and maybe help out a little."

  Velarion’s expression softened, the ever present glint of mockery fading slightly. "It’s good that you’re trying to help, but I won’t be able to, sadly."

  My brow furrowed. "What? Why not?"

  "Because the reality barrier won’t be eroded enough for you to enter," it explained, scratching its side with one of its massive horns. "It takes decades for that process to unfold."

  I couldn’t hide my disappointment. "Isn’t there some way to stop a world from unanchoring altogether?"

  Velarion tilted its head, its shimmering antlers catching faint, invisible light. "Yes, but it requires an immense amount of energy and high level individuals working together to stabilize the reality barrier before the unanchoring gets too far."

  It flicked its horns, tearing open a portal in the air as effortlessly as one might open a curtain. The tear shimmered, a jagged wound in space radiating faint energy.

  "And, as I’ve told you before, energy is the most valuable resource to all life. There are ways to delay it once the process begins, but ultimately, they’re temporary measures."

  "Like what?" I asked, curiosity driving me despite Velarion’s obvious irritation.

  It sighed, the sound like a low breeze. "Nothing you need to concern yourself with. But I know you won’t stop asking, so here it is: it involves eliminating corrupted and shadow creatures before they’ve been corrupted beyond the point of no return."

  Velarion leaned forward, nudging me toward the portal with its massive horns.

  "But," it continued, "as you’ve likely already figured out, that’s no easy task. And even then, it only delays the inevitable."

  Before I could ask another question, we stepped through the portal.

  On the other side was a vast, desolate desert. Jagged mountains rose like skeletal remains scattered across the horizon, their sharp peaks carving into the blood red sky. The wind howled, kicking up storms of dust and sand, but none of it seemed to touch us. In the distance, faint jagged tears shimmered in the sky, nearly invisible behind the thick, swirling dust.

  Velarion’s voice broke the silence, filled with a strange kind of anticipation. "Hmm, a subterranean world. This should be fun."

  Without further warning, it pushed me toward a narrow cave opening.

  "You’d better hurry up and go deeper," it said, its tone sharp now. "You’re only standing here because I’m shielding you, but I’ve already wasted enough time. Good luck surviving ."

  Its words barely registered before it disappeared, vanishing as quickly as it had brought me here.

  Suddenly, the hot wind hit me like a tidal wave. It lifted me clean off the ground, slamming me hard into the cave’s jagged ceiling. Gritting my teeth against the sting of the impact, I scrambled to right myself. Velarion’s warning echoed in my head, and I didn’t wait to test its truth.

  Without looking back, I jogged deeper into the cave, leaving the suffocating desert winds behind.

  I expected the cave to be pitch black, and I hadn’t thought to bring any means of illumination. But as I ran deeper, faint blue light began to dot the walls, casting an eerie glow over the jagged tunnel. Curious, I stopped and inspected the source. Clusters of bioluminescent mushrooms sprouted from cracks in the walls, their soft, shimmering light pulsing gently, almost like a heartbeat. Well, that took care of my problem.

  The cave itself felt alive, its twisted, uneven walls like the gnarled teeth of some massive beast. The air grew cooler, and every step forward seemed to amplify the oppressive weight of the stone above me. The tunnel’s confines slowly began to widen as I moved deeper, the jagged rocks giving way to smoother, broader surfaces.

  The further I walked, the more sounds began to filter through the stillness. The howling storm outside had faded entirely, but now I could hear faint, high pitched noises echoing through the tunnels. It wasn’t a singular sound but a cacophony, like a swarm of insects or the droning hum of a massive beehive. The noise reverberated off the walls, growing louder with every step, sending shivers down my spine.

  Then, without warning, the tunnel came to an abrupt end. I stepped into the opening of a massive natural chamber. The ceiling stretched so high I could barely make it out through the faint bioluminescent glow, and the walls expanded outward in all directions, forming a space that dwarfed the narrow tunnel behind me. The air was thick and humid, carrying an unsettling mix of the earthy scent of fungi and something metallic, almost acrid.