The tour began in the main, multistorey, windowless hall. It was full of side chambers of the archives, where rows upon rows of meticulously kept records stretched from one room into another. The seer leading them moved quietly, his voice growing soft as his explanations blurred together after a while - minor disruptions, fluctuations in the currents, shifts too small to matter to anyone but the most devoted scholars.
Fengyu listened at first but even his attention wavered as the hours passed. The cosmic tides had ebbed and flowed for centuries, a slow and steady rhythm broken occasionally by turbulence. Every change, every ripple, was documented here in painstaking detail, yet most of it seemed to lead nowhere.
The most interesting part was of course when they claimed to have a clear interpretations. When a world plunged into a civil war, or when a trade war between two worlds caused a ban on gates transportation, etc. But even these still seemed so fuzzy, so gibberish, so unbelievable.
Was it real that the Temple's influence stemmed from this obscure science? Can they read it and predict? The guide was focused on a research side of the discipline. What about application?!
As they moved the vastness of its archives became unbearable - endless rows of shelves.
The other new guardians lost interest quickly, clearly unconvinced. Whispers of boredom turned into quiet conversations, then into small groups slipping away from the archives entirely. Some lingered at the entrance, others drifted into countless side chambers, pretending immersion in some scrolls but clearly seeking an escape.
Eventually, only the four of them remained - Fengyu, Mokai, Seline, and Kaelyn. They stood before an old, intricate map of dimensional flows two centuries ago, watching as the seer traced barely visible lines upon it.
"You remained," the seer observed, their voice betraying neither approval nor surprise. "Then you are ready to see more."
Without another word, he turned and led the four deeper into the archives.
"You should already understand what these records truly hold."
It meant somebody somewhere attempted magic, attempted a change that might force a world out of its drift direction.
"Ok, what is the point of recording all that. So you have evidence? But when for what?" asked Fengyu.
The seer regarded Fengyu with an expression of patience, as if waiting for him to catch up.
"We do not simply collect evidence," he said. "We seek understanding. The tides do not shift without reason. Every disruption leaves a mark, and when activity increases, it is never without consequence. If we can trace these disturbances, we can recognize when something - or someone - is pushing too hard against the currents. Some forces seek only knowledge. Others seek control. We walk the line between."
Fengyu frowned. "So you're saying you don't interfere?"
"We observe. We investigate. And when a disturbance threatens to tear through the balance of the charted worlds, we act."
Fengyu narrowed his eyes. "So you do interfere."
"We mediate," answered Master Gun. "We inform and seek to restore the balance. If the strain is too heavy than it is possible a world will be pushed out and we lose it."
"Had it happen before?"
"Yes, we had lost Firme."
"Do we have details of that disturbance?"
"Yes, but not so robust. It was the time when the Temple was just founded. We did not have so much knowledge then. The records are ancient. As you can imagine. There is a copy in the library."
Oh, yes. There was. A very obscure tome. Fengyu remembered looking through it, but it reminded more of an ancient poetry book than science.
Some parts of the records were really confusing. Was it on purpose?
"What are the records of that mysterious disturbance you decided not to investigate? That outside of the charted worlds one?"
He asked provocatively.
What exactly had they seen?
The seer glanced at Master Gun. The room seemed to quiet in response to Fengyu's question, even the air itself held its breath.
"You claim that there is no knowledge banned from the new guardians." Fengyu challenged.
The Seer's lips parted, but it was Master Gun who spoke first.
"There is a big difference between what we see and what we understand. I think you should experience the Nyx Void first." He nodded toward the seer.
"The Nyx Void?!"
The seer smiled and gestured them to follow.
"The Nyx Void," he began, "is a state of perception, a kind of trance, an altered state of awareness that allows the mind to perceive some glimpses into the higher dimensions. That is how we see."
Fengyu's brow furrowed. "So, it's like a hallucination?"
The seer gave a slow shake of his head.
"It's not the mind creating illusions, but the mind stretching beyond its limits. Those who enter it are capable of seeing echoes and shadows of things in higher dimensions. These sights may seem like madness, because they are the raw impressions. It is not an easy experience. The echoes of higher dimensions are... unsettling. The Nyx Void shows only fragments, disjointed pieces."
Fengyu was silent for a long moment. "And you - are you saying that the temple can make people enter this state? See what you see?"
"We can guide but not everyone can bear the strain of the Nyx Void. The Void does not give up its secrets easily."
Master Gun, who had been silent until now, spoke up. "What is seen in the Nyx Void must be treated with caution. It is not a clear vision. The higher dimensions are not meant for the minds of humans to fully comprehend."
As they walked, Fengyu exchanged looks with Mokai and Kaelyn, both of whom seemed equally uncertain but intrigued by the possibility of experiencing even the smallest echo of the higher dimensions. Seline, as usual, was quiet.
The seer led them to a small chamber suspended from the ceiling of the vast, windowless main hall. The only means of entry was a set of narrow bridges of polished stone, spaced around it, arching into the dim space like a thread stretched across a void.
Inside, the floor was layered with thick mats and cushions. The air felt different here - dense, humming with something.
They lowered themselves onto the cushions, fingers grazing the woven fabric. They had expected something grander - glowing artifacts, floating glyphs, ritualistic incantations. Instead, it was quiet. Still.
"Close your eyes," the seer instructed.
They exchanged uncertain glances, their expressions a mixture of curiosity and unease. Kaelyn's brow furrowed, Mokai shifted uncomfortably, and even Seline seemed unsettled, her eyes scanning the room for something tangible to hold onto.
There was no further instruction, no grand gesture or chant. Just a quiet command. The simplicity of it sent a ripple of uncertainty through the group, but one by one, they obeyed. Fengyu closed his eyes, pausing at the sudden darkness behind his eyelids.
At first, nothing happened. It was just the quiet hum of the room. But then, slowly, imperceptibly, the solid feeling of the chamber dissolved. It was as though the floor beneath him was no longer there, or that it had become a part of the emptiness surrounding him.
He found himself sitting on smooth, slick surface - no longer cushioned by the mats, no longer confined by the walls. He was floating, suspended in an endless space. The sound of his own breathing seemed distant and muffled. The nothingness stretched infinitely, yet paradoxically, he felt no fear.
The others were with him, on the same slick surface, though they appeared as translucent figures in the shifting void. Their presence was faint, almost dreamlike.
The seer's voice, soft and muffled, broke through the stillness.
"Look."
It was not a command, but a gentle invitation.
Fengyu's gaze was drawn to a series of faint, shimmering flashes in the darkness. They were like distant stars, each one flickering with a sharp, fleeting brilliance. They pulsed, bright and intense, then dimmed sinking into the fabric of this vast emptiness.
The flashes grew more numerous, more erratic.
There were moments of clarity, where the flashes aligned in distinct, almost rhythmic patterns, only to be shattered by abrupt distortions - sharp, jagged waves that spread outward. They seemed to flow in a coordinated motion in one direction, just to scatter the next moment.
"This is only one dimension," the seer said. He made a sweeping gesture and the entire scene before them blurred violently.
Fengyu felt a sharp dizziness as the world around him seemed to twist and stretch.
Then, as quickly as it had come, the blur resolved. The scene sharpened again, though now the currents looked different - more intense, more complex. The flashes remained, distant stars in the infinite darkness, but the flow of energy had shifted, the tides now moving in different, more intricate patterns.
The seer's voice came again steady and assured. "This," he continued, "is just one layer, one strand in the complex web of the 16 dimensions. Each thread weaves through the others, creating a vast, interconnected network of energy and force."
Fengyu swallowed hard, trying to steady himself against the ebb and flow of the currents. He focused on the flashes, on the shifting tides, trying to make sense of the overwhelming chaos around him.
His gaze flickered to Mokai and Kaelyn. Did they understand any of this? How could anyone?
How was one supposed to decipher meaning from scattered bursts of energy? How could conclusions be drawn from something so fluid, so unfathomable?
Mokai let out a frustrated breath and finally voiced what they were all thinking.
"How is anyone supposed to understand this? How do you make sense of… any of this?"
Master Gun's expression shifted, a flicker of approval in his eyes. He inclined his head slightly.
"Now you get it," he said. "Seeing is one thing. Understanding is something else entirely."
"We can only monitor," Master Gun continued. "Check for sudden outbursts, try to localize them. And if they appear within the charted worlds, we attempt to identify them. We see the beacon, but we rarely know what it means."
"If something flares up beyond the charted worlds, isn't that a sign of something… new?"
Fengyu pressed.
Master Gun folded his arms.
"A sign, yes. A confirmation? No. The currents are deceptive. A disturbance might indicate a world. Or it might indicate a ruin. Not all places are habitable. Not all signals come from the living."
Again very cryptic speech but no direct denial.
Then, from the corner of his vision, something caught Fengyu's attention. A shadow, moving against the flow of the currents. Fengyu instinctively reached out, his hand slicing through the air, trying to grasp the movement before it vanished.
As his fingers brushed through the air, his vision blurred, then snapped into sharp focus.
The currents twisted around him, the vision responding to his will, and for the briefest moment, he felt a power far beyond his own.
He felt dizzy, but still he searched for the shadow that caught his attention.
And then, it was no longer a mere distortion - it solidified. It had a form. The shape was coiling, serpentine, but with wings - large, translucent, shimmering. Soon, the serpent's head hovered just above him, its scales shimmering like liquid crystal. Its eyes glowed, ancient wisdom and power held within them.
For a moment, Fengyu thought he might lose himself in those eyes. He was paralyzed, drown into the depts of those glowing beads. He had seen them before!
"Welcome, Fengyu," the creature's voice was not heard in his ears but felt deep within his mind. "I am happy to meet you here."
Fengyu's heart skipped a beat. "The beast!!!" he whispered through squeezed lungs, his voice barely a breath.
"Yes," the serpent whispered, its voice like a soft, melodic current flowing through his mind.
His hand searched for his bracelet.
The serpent's form shimmered, its wings folding in a graceful motion. Not a serpent then… A dragon!!!
The dragon's massive body swirled through the space around him, its vast form undulating with a fluid, hypnotic rhythm.
"Why? How? What are you?" Fengyu managed to choke out.
The dragon's wings shifted slightly, the motion slow and deliberate, as if savouring the moment. Its massive form rippled in the space around him, and Fengyu felt himself drawn deeper into the vision.
But it felt safe. The creature's presence was not a threat but an invitation.
"It is not the time yet. But fear not. The time will come," the dragon's voice reverberated, vibrating in his very bones.
It began to fade, its body dissolving into the currents, leaving behind only the faintest echo of its presence.
It was a second, but Fengyu already missed it. It was a painful parting.
Then he felt a strange tug, a gentle pull away from where the ethereal form had been. His vision wavered. The currents twisted one final time before blurring out of focus.
The reality of the room, the solid ground beneath him, began to return, slow at first, like the dimming of a fading dream.
He heard Mokai's voice, faint, growing clearer with each passing moment.
"Fengyu!" At last Mokai's voice broke through the disorienting haze. "Come back!"
Fengyu blinked hard, his eyes refocusing. His surroundings shifted once more, and suddenly, the mats of the seer's room returned to view. The sound of his companions' concerned voices reached him, and the weight of the dragon's presence began to lift.
With a sharp inhale, Fengyu was back. The illusion shattered, the vision dissipated like smoke, and he found himself once again grounded in the stillness of the room.
"What has happened?" he asked.
Master Gun and the seer were regarding him thoughtfully.
"What have you done?" asked Mokai shaking him not so gently. "You have changed the vision… You left us and went… Where did you go? Why? What has happened?"
Fengyu met his eyes, still disoriented, but sure he should not share the vision of the dragon. Not yet.
"I thought I saw something... I wanted to get a closer look. And then... All blurred and changed."
Master Gun and the seer exchanged a brief glance.
"You looked where you wanted to look," the Seer spoke. "You modified the Nyx Void. You reached into it and shaped the vision to your will."
Fengyu blinked. "I did... what?"
Master Gun nodded slowly, his gaze both approving and thoughtful. "You are a natural Seer. The Nyx Void is a tool, but not everyone can shape it as you just did. It's a rare gift, Fengyu."
Fengyu clenched his fists, trying to ground himself, but the sensation of the vision still lingered - its voice, its vastness.
He glimpsed into a higher dimension. And something glimpsed back!
Play cool. Play cool.
"Oh, I am not. You are mistaken. It was just an accident."
Grinning, he tried to play down the event.
"Oh? You say so?"
The silence stretched out, thick and heavy, as Master Gun continued to observe him.
"I suppose we'll see," he finally said.
The tension in the room lingered for a few moments longer, before Master Gun dismissed them for the day.
"Very well, then. We will discuss this further when the time is right. It will be all for today."
The seer remained silent, his inscrutable gaze lingering on Fengyu.
Fengyu followed, as the group began to make their way out of the Seer's Department.
Outside Mokai walked alongside Fengyu, his steady pace a little slower than usual. His eyes occasionally flickered toward Fengyu, but he didn't speak right away.
"That wasn't just an accident. I saw it. We all saw it."
Fengyu shot him a quick look, but he forced his face to remain neutral.
"I don't know what happened," he muttered, trying to brush it off. "It was just... strange. I myself don't know how I have done it, or even if I really have done it. It is not like the Nyx Void is a place where everything is clear and makes sense."
Mokai didn't push further, but his expression was still full of quiet concern.
Kaelyn, who had been walking ahead with Seline, turned her head slightly.
"You know, Fengyu," she said, her voice casual but with an edge of something sharper beneath, "You might want to stop playing coy with this. It's clear you've touched something far deeper than any of us realize. Maybe you should figure out what it means before it figures you out." She smiled in a slightly mean way.
But that was a good point of an advice.