Path of Stars 3: Stars Alight (Patreon)

Sam considered the words from the Will of the Path as he felt his body reforming. Memories from Titans who had walked the stars poured into him, far more than the images that the Will had just shown him. They fused into his bones and essence as he felt his sense of self expanding.

Then the starform that made him up began to draw in on itself, condensing until he once again stood in the Void, in the same area where he’d been before. The weight of the Path wrapped around him like a cloak, a heritage that had just become his own. He’d only taken the first step and it had already changed his view of the Void.

He knew where the Titans had come from. It felt like the Void was full of life and their voices, like he’d just become part of a great web of life in the stars. He still had a lot of questions, but some of the main ones had been answered.

He still wasn’t happy to have been pulled away from Aster Fall, but given what he’d just seen, he should be able to do a lot more when he went back. The Path hadn’t directly increased his abilities, but a lot of things made more sense now and his crafting would be easier in the future.

He’d just have to make sure that the rest of the Path was as quick as possible, or even the time dilation wouldn’t help him.

Back on Aster Fall, his parents were still working on repairing the Moonlight Relic and the World Seal was failing. The Dimensional Convergence that the dwarven seer, Elder Utala, had shown him was heading directly for his home.

He also had to deal with the bellisagi and that Lord of Wind and Water who had sent them. That one sounded like either an Outsider or a very old bellisagi on a level similar to the Cabal, around 399.

On top of that, the Astral Guardian had shown him the giant scar across the World Core. If there was any time to get answers to how to fix those things, this was it. He hadn’t wanted to come here, but he couldn’t pass up the chance to make the most of it.

He gathered himself as he looked around, trying to find the source of the voice that he’d heard, the Will of the Path. Everything he’d just seen had expanded his view of the galaxy, but it didn’t change what he needed to do. The Will should be capable of helping him, if he could convince it.

“Where are you?” he asked as he searched for the voice. “I need to finish the Path and return home. Can you help me balance my essence?”

The Void is your home, young Titan, the Will replied, its voice echoing from everywhere. You are not limited by one area. But it is true that Aster Fall is in danger and its stability is important to our galaxy and to the Titans who are on the other side. You are uniquely suited to address this issue.

In front of him, a swirling cloud of starlight and motes of gasses gathered together into a hazy figure. It was head and shoulders taller than him, but given the size of the Titans, there was no doubt it could be larger if it wanted to. It felt like it was trying to be companionable.

It looked like a Titan, but just the general outline, including horns that stretched up into the dark. Beyond that, the features were translucent, made up of flowing currents of energy. It was like a starfield that had been compressed into this shape.

The figure stood there quietly, but there was something heavy and expectant in its posture, as if it were waiting for him. When it spoke, its features moved, but the voice was still transmitted directly to Sam’s mind, as if it were coming from the stars. This time, it was a bit quieter, however.

“Aster Fall is far away from the Titan’s homeland and my power, but I am still able to see what happens there. There is more involved with its troubles than you know.” The Will’s voice was calm, like an ancient teacher waiting for a student to improve. “From the damage to the World Core, to prisoners trying to escape from the Seal, to those you call the Boundless Alliance trying to leave, all of them are threads escaping from the skein. One by one, they erode the foundations of what we have built.”

There was a pause as the Will considered him, almost as if it were planning how to get him into shape as quickly as possible.

“If you wish to balance your essence in your current state, you will need to attune yourself to the Laws of the Void. There are three common ways to do this—battle, crafting, and meditation—but battle will be the most effective for you.

“You have long been holding yourself back from who you truly are, moderating your astral energy and aura to fit in with those around you. This is one reason your essence has become uncontrolled. You lack the presence of mind, as represented by your Charisma, to fully control your own energy. If you want to master your essence, you must first master yourself.

“We are the firstborn of the Void. We grew through battle to carve our homeland. That is the Path, the growth that is most natural to us. We have simply refined it over the years. You should throw yourself into one battle after another until your mind and spirit are unified and your energy flows without disruption. In doing so, you will grow stronger and come into your own.”

The Will’s voice resonated from the stars as images of Titans fighting against the other Primordial Races, beasts of astral chaos, and monsters from the Void filled Sam’s mind.

“Knowledge is the heart of the Path, but growth is the result, and you have much room to grow, especially if you wish to accomplish the goals that weigh on you. By slaying the beasts of the Void and gathering their energy, you will discover who you truly are.

“Each one you slay will infuse you with fragments of astral energy, including some of the knowledge of those who have gone before you. It will deepen your mind and perspective, attune you more strongly to the Void, and infuse you with power.”

The idea of battle spoke to Sam’s heart. The thirty years coming here had been productive, but it had been a lot of sitting and crafting. His skills had improved, but he hadn’t had much of a chance to use them. He hadn’t been sure what the Path would be like, but if it was about fighting, he was suddenly much more interested.

“It will also help you to master your physique,” the Will continued. “Until you, I have never met a Titan with difficulty changing their size. You are relying on a skill for something that should be natural. But it is also true that you are younger than any other Titan.” The words were critical, but there was a kindness there as well, as if the Will wanted Sam to achieve his full potential.

“This is not your fault. If you were born in the regular way, you would not have awoken yet. The newest of Titans is equivalent to the Third Evolution. Even that is a low level of strength to travel the Void, barely enough to walk the astral threads. You will be threatened by many of the beasts that dwell outside of our borders.

The words made Sam look at his attributes as he considered the level of strength that the Will was describing.

Level: 200

Class Experience (Level 1 Astral Artificer): 0 / 500,000

General Experience (200): 0 / 500,000

Class: Astral Artificer

Subclass: Spirit of Crystal Flame

Essence Constellation (Single Star): 598,092 / 2,000,000.

Elemental Mastery: Special.

Progress on Core Enchantment: 52%.

Height: 25’

Level 200 Astral Artificer Ability: Astral Fire.

Health: 17,210

Essence: 2,664.

STR: 1,571 Base (+10 with Amulet of Mountain Strength)

CON: 1,701 Base (+20 with Belt of Emerald Vitality)

AGI: 528 Base (+20 with Boots of Elemental Gliding)

WIS: 450

INT: 2,624 (+40 with Starforged Bracer)

AUR: 2,624 (+40 with Starforged Bracer)

CHA: 465 (+40 with Starforged Bracer)

Class:

Astral Artificer (Unique Inheritance Class): +5 Strength, +5 Constitution, +5 Wisdom, +10 Intelligence, +10 Aura, +10 Free Attributes per Class Level. +2 Free Attributes per General Level.

Professions:

• Aura Forger (Enchanter) Level 132. (100% class contribution).
• Profession Ability: Aura Forging (Heroic).
• Elemental Smith, Level 112. (100% class contribution)
• Profession Ability: Elemental Smithing (Heroic).
• Essence Scribe, Level 149. (30% class contribution)
• Profession Ability: Componentless Scribe (Heroic).

Despite his efforts over the last thirty years and the many skills he had improved, his level and professions still displayed the same as before he set foot on the Path. Without the World Core to acknowledge his efforts, the actual level he had reached was a mystery.

He had the feeling that as soon as he encountered some sources of experience, that would change and the levels would update. There should be quite a backlog of changes to work through.

Right now, however, he was most interested in his attributes compared to what the Will had mentioned. He had only just reached the Second Evolution, but his attributes put him solidly in the Third by Aster Fall’s reckoning. Apparently, that still wasn’t enough for what was ahead of him.

Was the Will calculating Evolutions according to Aster Fall’s standards or according to the Titans’ standards, which sounded like they were higher? It seemed like it was the latter, of course. He might still have a long way to go before he reached their version of the Third Evolution. And then how strong were the Titans who had built the Path?

If the corpse of that Vos’Rekan that made up Aster Fall was an example of what they could do, and if the Astral Guardian he had met was only one of the younger races, then the Titans should be incredible by comparison.

“A Titan’s evolution is a combination of physical attributes and essence.” As if aware of his thoughts, the Will paused what it was saying to explain. Its voice showed no trace of impatience. “As for the current Titans, nearly all of them have reached the Sixth Evolution and ascended, which is where your physical being becomes one with the laws of the Void,” the Will explained. “Some are much stronger, in a realm that cannot be easily quantified, especially the oldest of us. Their insights into the nature of the Void grant them great capabilities.

“Even the youngest of the Titans is at the Fifth Evolution, which is the realm that you need to attain if you hope to stand on your own, at the very least.”
“If the younger races are at the Fifth and Sixth Evolutions,” Sam thought aloud as he considered the figure of the Astral Guardian, “are they as strong as the Titans?”

“No. We are a Primordial Race.” The Will’s rejection of the idea was swift. “The Cer’Aleth you met was at the Sixth Evolution, and he is a notable figure among his race and in the wider galaxy who has done much to honor his people, but there are key differences between the younger races and us.

“We receive physical attributes from astral chaos and essence that are matched only by the other early races. The younger races can gather the more stable energy of this galaxy, what you call experience, but that is less than half of our strength.”

The Will raised a hand made of swirling starlight. On his palm, the outline of a young Titan who looked similar to Sam appeared. In his torso, about where his stomach and heart would be, there were three stars forming a triangle. All throughout his body, rivers of starlight connected his hands, feet, head, and everything else together in a swirling and harmonious pattern that tugged at Sam’s awareness. The being held the image up for Sam’s inspection as it continued.

“A Titan at the Third Evolution has three stars in his essence constellation. That is roughly 5,000,000 individual sparks of essence and about ten times stronger than you are currently.” The Will allowed Sam time to examine the model before it continued. “This estimate includes the attributes you’ve gained from experience.

“When he is born, a Titan does not yet have a class, but the raw strength of our race is enough to ensure survival in most cases, unless something like an adult Vos’Rekan arrives. Later, we gather experience and forge a class that fits our meridians. Those are the pathways you can see here. I’ve created this model based off of your own. It is the result of combining our essence with the experience in the galaxy.

“With our physical attributes as a Primordial Race, combined with the experience we gather, an adult Titan is able to travel as he wishes. We usually mark true adulthood as the beginning of the Fifth Evolution, since by that point only another Primordial Race will be able to match you in pure strength.”

“Why is there both essence and experience?” Sam asked with a frown. “The Outsiders seem to only use essence and people on Aster Fall only use experience. Is that the same for all of the younger races?”

“Yes,” the Will answered. “We were surprised to find that the demons who came through the Nexus used essence. We thought at first that they were a Primordial Race, but it turned out that they were unable to gather experience. It seems that their galaxy followed a different path to evolution than ours.

“There might be something like a Primordial Race in their galaxy that uses both energies, or their galaxy might not have any experience at all. Perhaps it all converted to essence. I have not yet received any information from the Titans who went to investigate, but that was one of the things they wanted to discover.

“Due to the nature of essence, the demons’ physical attributes tend to be slightly higher than those of the younger races in our galaxy, but they do not have the same precise control of energy. Their abilities favor raw manipulation and direct conflict. Their classes are far more basic than ours.”

“Where did our classes come from then?” Sam asked as he filed away the information for later. “The World Core assigns them to everyone on Aster Fall and you don’t get much choice in it, except that they tend to follow in a family tradition. Does it work that way in the rest of the galaxy?”

“Inheritance is a key factor in class fit,” the Will agreed, “but it is not the only factor. The first classes in our galaxy were ones we created by accident. At the time, astral chaos helped us to ensure they were viable. Energy was more malleable then and if something didn’t work, it could be altered. Later, when astral chaos disappeared and planning was more important, we studied the patterns and taught the ones that were suitable to the younger races.

“As the collection of our racial knowledge, I hold these patterns in my memory. Part of my purpose is to assist in refining them further, although I have had no young Titans to teach in a very long time. There are many artifacts throughout the galaxy that have been created to assist with the Class process, including the World Core, since it is complex.

“On some worlds, shamans or other teachers show the way. They believe that a living guide is better than an artifact. This avoids situations like the one your family experienced, where an incorrect class can be assigned, so there is some validity to it, but also a greater chance of corruption.

“Either way, class selection is a critical and dangerous process. A class needs to match precisely with the meridians and spirit of the user. This is why when you selected your Astral Artificer class, the World Core contacted me to authorize it.

“The core is an exceptional artifact for its purpose, but it does not have my capabilities and it does not have the authority to make decisions for a Titan class. I was the one who determined the suitability of the class for you and assembled its future path when you chose to forge it.”

“That means you have authority over the World Core?” The Will’s words left Sam stunned as he considered the ramifications of what it had just said. He immediately pulled himself together as he jumped to the most critical question. “Did the Titans build it then? Can you repair it and the World Seal?”

Since the Will was answering his questions, he wasn’t going to stop until he’d asked about everything, especially the secrets that the World Core didn’t want to tell him. If it were true, it would solve his biggest problem. Then he would just have to worry about getting home and making sure that the Cabal didn’t cause his family any trouble. There was no doubt that they would eventually discover the power of the relic, and when that happened, he wanted to be there to deal with them.

“The World Core was built by the same group of Astral Titans who slew the Vos’Rekan there, a short while after it was clear that the experiment was a success.” The Will of the Path explained patiently as his form rippled with waves of starlight. It didn’t seem to mind that it was revealing secrets the World Core wanted to protect. It might have refrained from telling someone else, but since Sam was a Titan, these answers were his birthright.

“It was designed to stabilize the Nexus and purify the energy from it. The essence from the other galaxy is slightly different than ours, with more of a bloodthirsty tinge. We desired to keep that from unduly influencing our homeland. The demons helped in the beginning, since it was a way to share insights from both galaxies, but they were later locked out of the command functions as the war began.

“As a result of the war and the need to purify that type of essence, the World Core became somewhat biased against the demons’ energy. It is why it disliked you, due to the demonic impression that was left on you. Once you became an Astral Titan, that changed, but it is a very focused artifact, not a teacher. It is not in its nature to explain everything.

“By the time the Titans left, the sole command authority for the World Core was assigned to Asenya, as well as the responsibility to ensure the stability of the Nexus and to develop Aster Fall, which is where she gained her title as the World Forger.

“Later, when she constructed the World Seal, she drew on the power of the World Core and Aster Fall, linking all three intrinsically together. That has created a far more complicated lock than the original authority, especially now that she has disappeared.”

“So no one but her can repair the World Core, and by extension the World Seal?” Sam asked with a deep frown.

“The original builders still have their unique authority, if they return, and they could either convince the World Core to assist them or unweave the connection that Asenya created and then recreate the World Seal, but the World Core actively blocks the effort of anyone else who tries that. Separating them would also open the Nexus to invasion for a short time, so a strong defense would be necessary.

“There were some younger Titans left here after the war with the capability to repair the core, and they tried, but they had no authority to modify it. It is in a fragile state, so they were forced to abandon their efforts rather than damage it further. When they traveled through the Nexus, they planned to pass on the message, but so far no one has returned.”

“So that leaves it up to me still?” Sam muttered as he considered the problem. “For both the core and the World Seal?” He grimaced as his hope for a quick solution was dashed. “I suppose that doesn’t change anything.”

“Unfortunately, like the World Core, access to the command structure of the World Seal is limited to its caretaker. If it were closer to me, I might be able to take control of it, or at least to moderate some of the damage, but it is very distant,” the Will replied, his form rippling with something like agitation. “Asenya was a good friend to the Titans and highly trusted, even with her mixed background. She was intensely dedicated to the preservation of Aster Fall. Her disappearance was unexpected.

“However, the core recognizes you as Asenya’s inheritor, which gives you a unique opportunity to restore both of them, if you can gain the necessary strength.”

“Do you know where she is?” Sam asked. He was hoping that the Will might have an answer. It definitely seemed to know what was going on everywhere. At least, it might be able to set him on the right track.

“Even I do not know where Asenya went,” the Will shook his head, a storm of silver washing through his body like a wave in a celestial ocean. “I suspect she is either recovering from injuries in a dimensional fold of the World Seal or trapped on the other side by the demons. She may have been lured there just before the war ended.”

“Then I will have to take her place, unless I can find her,” Sam said, grimacing again. It was the same thought he'd had many times, but that didn't help.

“I can sense her heritage in you, but even with access, you are not yet strong enough," the Will replied. "You would have to be at least at the Fifth Evolution. The Sixth would be better.”

“The Path can help me to grow stronger, can’t it?” Sam asked with a frown. “Or maybe the Titans will come back soon?”

“With the time compression around the Nexus, it is no surprise that our people have not yet returned,” the Will answered. “In subjective time, perhaps only a few hundred thousand years have passed for them and that is a brief moment in the Void. The younger races have flourished for hundreds of millions and that is only the latest era of our history. A Titan’s perception of time is marked more by event than by duration. They will not return until their curiosity is satisfied. While they are gone, I will guard our land.”

“What happens if the Seal breaks?” Sam asked. “I’ve always heard it would destroy Aster Fall.”

“That is the simple version, but it is more complicated,” the Will explained. “There are two separate dangers, depending on if the World Seal or the World Core is broken. If the World Seal breaks, it will lead to invasion and wars. This has happened before, most recently 60,000 years ago in Aster Fall’s time. The younger races stepped in to push back the invasion forces, which allowed the World Core enough time to rebuild the Seal from the free energy that was released by the battle.

“The other threat is to the World Core itself. As you saw, it is damaged. If it broke completely, the energy contained inside of it and within the Nexus would be explosively released. Aster Fall would not survive that collision.

“Additionally, without the World Core’s protection and the stability of the world, anything that did survive would not be able to endure for long unless they were at least at the Third Evolution. That is the bare minimum to support life in the Void for the younger races.

“As a result, I have to apologize on behalf of our people. The situation is regrettable. Aster Fall was never meant to host the quantity of life that it does currently. It was supposed to be a raw world to purify essence.”

Sam grimaced again. What would happen if he didn’t manage to live up to these expectations? The thought floated through his mind, bringing with it a sense of purpose as he pushed it away. He wasn’t going to let that happen.

“Then I would sacrifice part of my existence to temporarily seal the Nexus until the Titans are able to open it from the other side.” The Will answered, making it clear that it could hear his thoughts. “However, Aster Fall would still be lost and a number of demons would likely seize the opportunity to enter our galaxy before I could stop them.”

Sam let out a low growl as he looked down at his hands and flexed them. Then he pushed ahead, asking the rest of the questions that were on his mind.

“What damaged the World Core like that?” he asked. “That slash across it was massive. Was it a demon?”

“No, that damage was caused by a Vos’Rekan, one of our old enemies,” the Will said, shaking his head. “That is also what destroyed the Moonlight Relic to which you have such a connection. Its arrival was the most significant event of the First War except for the World Seal itself.”

“The attack on the relic during the First War was by a Vos’Rekan?” Sam was astonished as he recalled the image of that giant dark claw tearing through the sky as it shattered the wards and the mountain sides. Its claws had torn lines dozens of feet deep, but from what he’d seen of the Titans’ history, that was nothing compared to the size that the beasts could grow to. “Why did it come there?”

“Either the energy from the Nexus or our presence on Aster Fall seems to have drawn it there, although its arrival is suspicious, and particularly the timing.” The Will seemed to frown, the starlight bending into arcs of disapproval and frustration for the first time. “That region of space was barren after the death of the older Vos’Rekan that was used to create Aster Fall. They are very territorial and it should not have come there on its own, not while any trace of the other still remained.

“I suspect that the demons sought it out deliberately to aid them, baiting it somehow and hoping that it would destroy everything when it arrived. Its arrival was the most damaging blow to our side in the war and the event that caused Asenya to act alone and create the World Seal, since we were forced to withdraw to lure it away. Fighting it there would have ensured total destruction of everything nearby.

“We were successful in distracting it from Aster Fall and the World Core, but it was only driven off and not slain. It retreated into the depths of the Void, where it most likely still lurks. That is one reason the World Core instituted its current policy for Level 399 as the World Limit. Energy under that limit is less likely to attract its attention, or any other of its ilk.”

“One reason?” Sam caught onto the term as his need to know everything spiked.  “What were the others?”

A trace of amusement flashed through his mind as he considered what would happen if the Cabal escaped from Aster Fall only to be eaten by a Vos'Rekan. It would be a fitting end for their arrogance and lack of care for everyone else on the planet. Unfortunately, if they lured the thing to Aster Fall in the process, it wouldn't be worth it. It made a little more sense now why the World Limit existed, although he hadn't imagined it was due to enemies lying in wait in the Void.

“At the Fourth Evolution, the process for generating personal energy changes, at least among the younger races,” the Will replied simply. Thankfully, it seemed like unlike everyone else he’d met, the Will of the Path had no reason to hold anything back. “Prior to that point, mana is drawn in from the ambient energy in the world and eventually released back to it. At the Fourth Evolution, it is possible to draw energy directly from other areas, like the elements and higher principles, including dimensional laws.

“The process varies depending on the nature of the race and the class that someone has, but it allows for a much more independent existence. It was originally intended to support life in the Void, where resources are limited and dimensional energies are strong.

“Normally, it wouldn’t be a problem, but with the World Core damaged, it is not able to handle those fluctuations as easily. Too many dimensional eddies could break the World Seal and undermine the stability of the Nexus, threatening its core purpose.”

Sam let out a short sound of surprise. Of all the reasons he’d considered for why the World Core had a limit, that hadn’t been one of them. At least it made sense. It also made him wonder about the dimensional mages of the Hastern family and how much of a problem they might be if they got stronger.

“What would have happened if the Vos’Rekan destroyed the World Core?” he asked. “Would it have torn open a rift between the two galaxies?”

“Yes,” the Will agreed. “The Nexus would have expanded until it consumed that region of the Void. Aster Fall would have been destroyed.

“As part of that, a permanent bridge might have been established between the two galaxies, but it is just as likely that the Nexus would have expanded until both galaxies were pulled into it. Should that have threatened us, I would have sacrificed part of myself to contain it until the Titans could return to create a more permanent solution.”

“Right,” Sam muttered. It sounded like the Titans had found themselves in a difficult situation, stuck between helping more and leaving it alone where it was safer. “If that’s the case, then who built the Moonlight Relic and the experiment that turned me into an Astral Titan? Was that at the same time? I know it was destroyed during the First War.”

“It was,” the Will answered again. “The builder of the Moonlight Relic was a relatively young Titan by the name of Cerei. She was one of those who wanted to help Aster Fall once she saw that it was flourishing with life, contrary to our expectations. She began her own project to protect it several thousand years before Asenya created the World Seal.

“Unfortunately, she was injured in the attack by the Vos’Reckan and forced to retreat. Later, she also went through the Nexus in search of answers. You should know that she would be happy to see you, not only as a success of her work but because she would see you as her own son.

“She was one of the last Titans born near the end of the First Age. After she grew up, she was never able to successfully mingle her essence to create a new Titan, so it became a passion for her. She continued to try long after many others gave up.

“Like most of the Titans, she was attracted to the trace of astral chaos from the Nexus. When she built that experiment, she was trying to create new Astral Titans from the energy there, hoping that it would be enough. Your existence is a unique combination of astral chaos with one of her many intensive efforts. You can think of her as an adopted mother, if you like.”

Of all the things that the Will had just told him, that was the one that hit Sam the hardest. Visions of his mother and father, his sister, and everyone he’d left behind on Aster Fall flooded through his mind. The Will had said it plainly, as just a fact of history, but to him it was something more.

Until that moment, the Titans had simply been a powerful race that might give him an advantage in doing what he needed to, but the idea that one of them had created him—had been trying to create him for who knew how many thousands of years as the stars burned in the void...that struck home.

He could imagine the loneliness of someone who couldn’t have children and wanted them, who had been born just a little too late in the river of passing eons. Nothing of her own doing, only the era, had made it impossible for her to achieve what she wanted, but she had kept trying.

That made him feel a connection to her and to the Titans, as well as to the Moonlight Relic that was now sheltering his family.

The starlight form of the Will seemed just a little more familiar as he let the impact settle into his soul, and in that moment, he decided that he would try to find her, Cerei. If nothing else, she deserved to know that her efforts had born fruit.

He might not see her as a mother, exactly, but he didn’t mind adding an aunt to his family.

“But set aside these concerns for now, young one,” the Will said. It was clearly aware of his thoughts and seemed to smile slightly.  “They will not aid you until you have the capability to deal with them. You are the only Titan within our domain right now, as well as the only youngling to teach, so I will look after you.”

This time, the words felt almost paternal, and Sam looked up at the rippling Titan made of starlight as he came to an impulsive decision. So far, the Will had been nothing but helpful to him, and he didn’t see that changing. He’d much rather think of the being as a ‘he’ instead of an ‘it.’

If he was going to add an aunt to the mix, he might as well add a strange uncle.

The Will rippled with what looked like humor, his starlight shoulders braced against the dark, and then he turned, his hand rising in a ripple to indicate the stars in the distance. When he spoke this time, his words made it clear that there was much to do.

“As it stands, you are the only Titan available with the ability to assist Aster Fall and maintain the balance of power at the Nexus. If you wish to help with the World Seal and to return to Aster Fall with our heritage behind you, it is time for you to train on the Path.” The Will’s body began to ripple with more intense waves of light, as if it were gathering energy. “The Path begins with knowledge, and you have enough to begin.”

The stars flickered as the Will reached out to grasp the stars ahead of them. The points of light began to shift, turning into streaks as Sam felt the Void moving.

“It will take a little while to reach the border of our domain. It is there, in the wild of the dark and the heated chaos of the stars, that you will find yourself. I will answer the rest of your questions as we travel.”