"So that's how it is, huh?"
Shad Darc looked up at the night sky, his expression unreadable.
The nine enormous stars remained arranged in their strange circular formation above the forest canopy. He had no explanation for them, just as he had none for the forest, the creature beneath him, or the unfamiliar sensation he had recently begun to uncover.
"Argh..."
He rubbed his face and released a tired sigh.
"If that's how it is, then I suppose I'll have to play along."
His gaze lowered.
The bear-like creature was still watching him. Its red eyes remained fixed on Shad, and the faint anticipation in its expression had only grown stronger.
Shad tilted his head.
"Hmm. What are you so excited about?"
The creature offered no response.
"Well, it doesn't really matter."
Shad leaned against the tree trunk and considered his circumstances.
"My chances of surviving have probably risen to about ten percent."
He couldn't explain where the estimate came from. It wasn't based on any reliable calculation. It was simply an instinctive feeling brought on by the strange sensation he had discovered.
Something within him had changed.
Not enough to make him careless, but enough to convince him that survival was no longer an entirely hopeless possibility.
Even so, he needed to understand what was happening.
Shad closed his eyes.
Then he decided to consult the other aspects of himself.
For years, he had regarded the strange divisions within his consciousness as a possible mental disorder. He had never understood their origin, but he had learned to navigate them and, when necessary, make use of them.
His consciousness shifted.
The forest disappeared.
Within his mental space, three figures emerged.
The first sat upon a simple, dark wooden throne suspended in an endless black void. He wore plain dark-blue clothing with a vaguely regal appearance. There was no crown, no jewelry, and no extravagant decoration.
He considered himself a king regardless.
The Lonely King.
The second figure sat cross-legged within an endless white space. He wore simple dark-purple martial attire that was almost black. His eyes remained closed, as though he were permanently engaged in meditation.
He was the Observer.
The third figure stood between the white and black voids. His upper body was bare, revealing a collection of scars that crossed his skin like unusual tattoos. He wore plain gray trousers, and his short hair was gray rather than black.
One hand rested beneath his chin as he studied an unseen problem.
The Contemplator.
All three figures resembled Shad almost perfectly. They shared his height, light-brown skin, and slim but well-conditioned physique. The Contemplator's gray hair was the only obvious physical difference.
They weren't separate people in the conventional sense. They were aspects of Shad's consciousness, shaped into recognizable forms within his mental space.
Even so, each possessed a distinct presence.
"Oh, you will survive if you truly want to."
The Lonely King spoke with calm certainty.
"Yeah."
The Observer opened his eyes slightly.
"If survival is what you desire, then your chances should naturally improve."
The Contemplator remained silent for a while, appearing to calculate something before finally speaking.
"Based on the information available, I would place your chances at approximately fifty percent."
Shad raised an eyebrow.
"Fifty percent?"
"Yes."
The Contemplator rubbed his chin.
"The new sensation has changed several variables. However, that estimate assumes you can enter the state again and make proper use of what you've discovered."
Shad turned toward the Lonely King.
"Is that so?"
The Lonely King leaned back against his throne.
"Of course. Or do you doubt me?"
"Not exactly."
Shad considered his response before continuing.
"I just want to be certain."
His expression grew more serious.
"How am I supposed to understand this new feeling? It doesn't behave like ordinary energy. It feels almost alive."
Silence settled over the mental space.
The Lonely King was the first to respond.
"You should meditate on it more deeply. You've only begun to perceive it, so there's no reason to assume you've already reached its limits."
The Observer smiled faintly.
"You're still resisting the obvious possibilities."
Shad glanced at him.
"Which possibilities?"
The Observer opened his eyes fully.
"That you may no longer be on Earth."
Shad's expression remained unchanged.
"That possibility has already crossed my mind."
"Then perhaps you simply don't want to accept it."
The Observer shrugged.
"Whether you're on Earth or somewhere else, the answer won't change because you refuse to acknowledge it."
Shad stared at him for a moment.
"You're becoming irritating."
"That is hardly new."
The Contemplator continued studying his unseen problem, apparently uninterested in their exchange.
Shad sighed.
"This really sucks. I'm literally talking to myself."
Despite his complaint, he decided to follow their advice.
His consciousness returned to his body.
Shad adjusted his position on the branch and settled into a more comfortable posture. He steadied his breathing and allowed his thoughts to quiet.
This time, however, he wasn't meditating merely to experience peace.
He had a purpose.
Survival.
His attention turned toward the sensation within him.
Unlike the state of stillness he had encountered earlier, this newer feeling seemed more closely connected to his physical existence. It felt as though it belonged to him—not something imposed from outside, but something that had always been present beneath his awareness.
The distinction was difficult to explain.
Still, Shad focused on it.
He had already concluded that the sensation possessed qualities resembling spiritual energy. It seemed capable of affecting his physical condition, clearing his mind, and strengthening his body in ways he couldn't yet measure.
But uncertainty continued to interfere.
'Am I really still on Earth?'
He kept his breathing steady.
'Or have I been transported to another world?'
The possibility had become increasingly difficult to dismiss.
The forest, the creature, the unfamiliar sky, and the sensation within him all contradicted what he understood about reality.
Yet there was still a chance that the entire situation had been engineered by the Shadow Department.
An experiment.
A psychological operation.
A controlled environment designed to test his reactions.
He couldn't eliminate those possibilities without evidence.
'I'll survive first.'
'Then I'll find out which explanation is correct.'
With that decision, Shad continued his examination.
The deeper he focused, the closer he seemed to approach the sensation. It felt like moving toward an invisible boundary somewhere between his awareness and his body.
As he drew nearer, doubts surfaced.
Then something changed.
The sensation responded to his attention.
Shad paused.
He didn't know how he understood it, but he suddenly realized that he could interact with it.
Not by physically moving anything or forcing it through his body. Instead, he began directing his awareness toward it, learning to recognize its presence and follow its movement.
He guided it toward his mind.
Then toward his heart.
There was no visible light, no outward manifestation, and no immediate change in his surroundings. The process was entirely internal.
Yet he could feel the difference.
His mind began to recognize the sensation more clearly. His heart seemed to accept it, and gradually, the rest of his body became aware of its presence.
He no longer needed to enter the deepest state of meditation to perceive it.
That alone was a significant breakthrough.
Shad considered why it had happened.
The first possibility was that his entire being had instinctively accepted the sensation. It felt as though it had always been part of him—something buried or inaccessible until now.
The second possibility involved his training.
Years of conditioning under the Shadow Department had forced his body and mind to adapt to extreme circumstances. He had studied human anatomy, physical limitations, stress responses, pain tolerance, and the ways the body could be pushed beyond its ordinary boundaries.
But training alone might not explain everything.
There was also his natural adaptability.
Shad had always adjusted unusually quickly to unfamiliar environments, dangerous situations, physical stress, and changes in human behavior. He didn't know where that ability came from, but it had helped him survive situations that should have broken him.
Perhaps all those factors had contributed to his current progress.
Or perhaps the world itself was responding to him.
He had no way to know.
For now, he could only work with what he had.
As Shad pushed deeper into his awareness, he felt himself cross another threshold.
The second layer.
The sensation was no longer something he merely experienced. He could now perceive its movement.
It flowed.
Like an invisible essence moving through and around his existence.
The feeling needed a name.
Shad considered several possibilities before settling on one.
'The Feeling of Flow.'
It wasn't particularly elegant, and it was probably inaccurate. However, it described what he sensed well enough.
Within that broader feeling, he began to notice two distinct qualities.
The first was connected to the energy moving through his body. It felt active and responsive, capable of strengthening his physical condition.
The second resembled the stillness he had experienced earlier. It was deeper, quieter, and more closely connected to his inner consciousness.
Shad separated the two within his mind.
'The Flow of Energy.'
'And the Flow of Spirituality.'
The names were provisional. He wasn't certain whether they represented two genuinely separate forces, but the distinction helped him organize what he was experiencing.
'The Flow of Spirituality seems connected to the earlier sensation—the stillness and emptiness.'
His attention shifted toward the second feeling.
'Perhaps it has something to do with my inner self. Maybe even an inner world.'
He stopped himself before the speculation could expand.
'I don't have enough information to understand it.'
There was no reason to waste time forcing an answer.
'For now, I'll focus on the Flow of Energy.'
Shad slowly opened his eyes.
His surroundings remained unchanged, but his perception had sharpened. The difference was subtle, invisible to anyone observing him from the outside.
He looked down.
The bear-like creature was still beneath the tree.
Only now, it had begun shifting restlessly. Its claws scraped against the ground, and its gaze remained fixed on him with an eagerness that was becoming difficult to ignore.
Shad watched it for a moment.
Then a sly grin appeared on his face.
"Oh."
He leaned forward slightly.
"So you're getting impatient."
The creature's body tensed.
Shad's smile widened.
"Just wait a little longer."
He settled back against the tree.
"I'll come down soon enough."