Fragments Of Truth

Ever thought about how, when you fall asleep, you're embraced by the warm arms of oblivion, drifting back into the nothingness while your body rests? Dreams are the only flickers of life we see in that void. The rest is pitch-black darkness, seeping into your skull as you surrender reality.

"Kaelith."

And yet… here I am, staring upon my fate. The stars glimmer in the twilight sky, their light seeping into me, filling me with their essence as the world begins to bend around me.

The concept of dimensions has… changed me. I've never felt so weak, so fragile, in this human body. It's perfect, in a way—a foundation waiting to shatter, then be rebuilt. Strength is born in fragility, isn't it? Inner power gleams like glass shimmering in the sun—fragile beauty waiting to break and reform.

The stars' essence lingered, a faint glimmer in my groggy gaze, as the mundane tugged me back. "Kaelith, Kaelith, Kaelith." My name was an anchor, dragging me from celestial reverie back to the disarray of my room.

I stirred, groaning as I blinked against the pale morning light slipping through the curtains. Mikael stood at the foot of my bed, arms crossed, smirking faintly. Concern flickered in his eyes, though he masked it well.

"How'd you get in?" I rasped, my voice thick with sleep.

"Spare key," he said, tossing it onto the nearby bookshelf with a casual flick of his wrist.

I rubbed my temples, trying to piece myself together. "I told you to give that back."

"You did," he said with a shrug. "I ignored you. Anyway, I came to see if you're still coming to the bonfire tomorrow night. Everyone from work's going, and—let's be real—you need to leave this cave once in a while."

I blinked, trying to process his words. A dull hum throbbed behind my eyes. My arms tingled faintly as if electricity coursed beneath my skin. The world around me seemed to twist, faint and imperceptible—like a mirage.

"Kaelith?" Mikael frowned, leaning forward slightly. "You're spacing out. Are you okay? You're not messing around with that stuff again, are you?"

"No," I muttered, shaking my head. "I just… slept wrong. My body feels off."

Mikael didn't look convinced, but he let it go. Instead, his gaze drifted to my bookshelf. "You still have those comics?"

"Manga," I corrected automatically, brushing my hair back. "Yeah. I've been telling you to read them for months. Fine, take a season. Bring them back before you ask for more."

He chuckled, grabbing a stack of Naruto volumes. "Thanks, man. Don't let work bury you, okay? And maybe think about the bonfire. You could use a break."

He left with a casual wave, the door clicking shut behind him. I fell back onto my bed, staring at the ceiling. The ringing in my ears returned, faint at first, like a distant hum. It grew louder, more insistent. My breath hitched as the edges of my vision rippled—shimmering waves bending reality itself.

And then, I saw it.

A vast expanse of stars stretched endlessly across a dark void. Each one pulsed with a rhythm that resonated deep in my chest. My heartbeat quickened. The room flickered, dissolving into the cosmos, the walls falling away like ash in the wind.

The vision was brief, like a flash of eternity compressed into a single heartbeat. When it ended, I was left trembling, my breath shallow and ragged. "What's happening to me?" I whispered.

I closed my eyes, trying to steady myself. My thoughts drifted back to the first time I'd seen the stars' truth—a year ago.

It had been a night much like this one. I was lying in a field outside the city, the cool grass beneath me, a canopy of stars above. Everything was still. Everything was ordinary. Until it wasn't.

The stars expanded, their light growing sharper, more vivid. Constellations shifted, rearranging into intricate patterns I couldn't comprehend. Strands of stardust wove through the sky, forming luminous pathways. Colors bled into the night—vivid hues I had no name for.

And then I felt it: a pull deep within my chest, as if some invisible thread connected me to the cosmos. My body remained rooted to the earth, but my essence… my essence soared.

I passed through galaxies, through worlds teeming with life. I saw beings whose forms defied comprehension, their consciousness brushing against mine. They didn't speak, but their presence was a question, a whisper: Do you see?

The vision ended as abruptly as it began. I was left trembling in the field, the stars above me faint and distant once more. But I was not the same.

Now, as I lay in my room, the memory burned in my mind. The stars were calling again, their whispers threading through my thoughts like a melody I couldn't quite grasp. I knew this was only the beginning.

The ringing in my ears swelled, and the edges of my world began to dissolve once more. Reality bent and folded, the mundane falling away. I reached out, and for the first time, I felt the fabric of existence yield beneath my touch.

The stars' light wrapped around me, warm and infinite, as if they had been waiting for this moment. My body, fragile and human, felt distant—a shell I no longer belonged to. The pull in my chest became a roar, a tidal wave of energy surging through me.

And then, the world exploded.

Light consumed everything. My room, my bed, the faint hum of the city outside—it all vanished, replaced by a boundless expanse of stars. I floated, weightless, the void stretching endlessly in every direction. The constellations shifted again, forming intricate symbols I couldn't understand but felt deep in my soul.

A voice resonated through the void, low and resonant.

"You have been chosen, Kaelith Seryn. But choice does not guarantee survival."

"What do you mean?" I asked, my voice trembling. "What is this? Who are you?"

"I am a fragment of what lies beyond. You sought power, and now you must prove yourself worthy of it. Prepare yourself, for the path ahead is perilous."

Before I could respond, the stars began to collapse inward, folding into a single point of blinding light. My body was pulled toward it, the energy consuming me whole. I screamed, reaching out, but there was nothing to hold onto.

The light vanished, and I fell.

I woke up in a world unlike anything I'd ever seen. The ground beneath me pulsed faintly, like a living heartbeat. The sky was a swirl of colors, bending and twisting in ways that defied logic. Gravity felt inconsistent, tugging at me one moment and releasing me the next.

I struggled to my feet, my body aching but strangely alive. My senses felt sharper, my muscles stronger. I clenched my fists, feeling an unfamiliar heat coursing through my veins.

A distant roar echoed through the landscape. I turned, my breath catching as I saw it: a creature of pure chaos, its form constantly shifting. It was massive, its eyes glowing with an unnatural light.

Kaelith didn't have time to think—only to react.

The beast lunged, a swirling mass of shadow and tendrils, its roar reverberating like a living earthquake. Kaelith threw himself to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike as the creature's tendrils slammed into the ground. The impact shattered the surface, sending jagged shards of pulsing terrain flying in every direction. One struck Kaelith in the shoulder, searing hot even through his jacket, and he winced as he hit the ground.

The pull in his chest surged. Heat flooded his veins, pulsing in time with the rhythmic hum of the chaotic realm. Kaelith pushed himself to his knees, clutching at his chest as the beast loomed above him. It was massive—easily the size of a small building—and constantly shifting. Its tendrils coiled and twisted, their tips ending in jagged, claw-like protrusions. Its glowing red eyes locked onto him, each one burning with cruel intelligence.

Kaelith's breaths came fast and shallow. His mind raced. What the hell am I supposed to do against that?

The beast roared again, a guttural sound that seemed to vibrate through the air itself. It lunged once more, its tendrils arcing toward him with terrifying speed. Kaelith barely managed to roll out of the way, his body moving with an agility he hadn't known he possessed. He scrambled to his feet, his muscles trembling as he faced the monster.

The pull in his chest grew stronger, a roaring fire that demanded release. Kaelith raised his hands instinctively, and the air around him shimmered. Threads of light coalesced in his palms, weaving together in a blinding display. When the light faded, he was holding something—a weapon.

It was a blade, though not like any sword he'd ever seen. The edges flickered like fire, its form unstable, as if it were made of raw energy. It vibrated faintly in his grip, humming with the same rhythm as the pull in his chest. Kaelith didn't question it. He gripped the hilt tightly, turning to face the beast as it prepared to attack again.

The beast lunged, its tendrils lashing out like whips. Kaelith met the attack head-on, swinging the blade with all his strength. The glowing weapon cut through the tendrils like butter, sending fragments of shadow scattering into the air. The beast recoiled, its roar laced with pain, but its form quickly reassembled, the severed tendrils reforming almost instantly.

Kaelith didn't wait for it to recover. He charged forward, the blade flickering as he swung it again and again, each strike carving through the creature's shifting body. The air crackled with energy as the blade connected, illuminating the battlefield in bursts of light. For a moment, Kaelith felt unstoppable—a force of nature moving with precision and power.

But the beast wasn't mindless.

It adapted.

As Kaelith swung his blade again, the creature shifted its form, its body splitting into multiple smaller masses that swirled around him. Tendrils lashed out from all directions, forcing him to spin and parry in a desperate attempt to keep up. One tendril struck him across the back, sending him sprawling to the ground. Another wrapped around his ankle, dragging him toward the center of the beast's mass.

Kaelith yelled, slashing at the tendril with his blade. The energy weapon severed it, and he scrambled to his feet, panting. His body burned with exertion, but the pull in his chest pushed him forward, urging him to keep fighting.

The beast reassembled, its form larger and more menacing than before. Its eyes glowed brighter, and its tendrils pulsed with raw energy. It roared, the sound deafening, and charged at Kaelith with renewed ferocity.

Kaelith knew he couldn't keep dodging forever. The pull in his chest surged again, and he felt a spark of understanding. This wasn't just about surviving. The energy in his veins—the pull in his chest—it wasn't a burden. It was a weapon.

He closed his eyes for a brief moment, steadying his breath. The chaos around him seemed to slow, the hum of the realm aligning with the rhythm of his heartbeat. When he opened his eyes, they glowed faintly with the same light that pulsed beneath his skin.

Kaelith raised the blade, and it responded to his will. The flickering edges stabilized, burning brighter and sharper. The weapon no longer felt crude—it felt like an extension of himself. He gripped it tightly, his gaze locking onto the beast.

This time, he didn't wait for it to attack.

Kaelith sprinted forward, the ground trembling beneath his feet as he closed the distance. The beast lashed out with its tendrils, but Kaelith moved with precision, dodging and weaving through the onslaught. He leapt into the air, the blade blazing as he brought it down in a powerful arc. It sliced through the creature's core, sending a shockwave rippling through the battlefield.

The beast screeched, its form fracturing as streams of light poured from the wound. But Kaelith wasn't done. He landed and immediately surged forward, striking again and again, each swing of the blade tearing through the creature's essence. The ground beneath them cracked and pulsed, the chaotic realm reacting to the clash of energies.

With one final roar, Kaelith drove the blade into the beast's core. The weapon burned brighter than ever, its light consuming the creature from within. The beast let out a deafening scream as its form unraveled, dissolving into streams of golden light that scattered into the air.

The battle was over.

Kaelith fell to his knees, gasping for breath. His hands trembled as the blade faded from existence, the light dissipating into the chaotic air. His body ached, every muscle screaming in protest, but he was alive. The pull in his chest had dulled, though it remained a faint presence—a reminder of the power he had tapped into.

The landscape around him was eerily silent. The jagged spires and rivers of molten fire seemed to watch him, as if the realm itself acknowledged his victory. Kaelith glanced down at his hands, his breath hitching as he saw faint lines of light running beneath his skin. They pulsed softly, their glow fading in and out like the embers of a dying fire.

"You have proven yourself," the voice said, echoing through the air. "But this is only the beginning."

Kaelith clenched his fists, his gaze fixed on the strange horizon. He didn't know what lay ahead, but one thing was clear.

He wasn't the same man who had stared at the stars through his bedroom window.