Etheric Desires Paths

In the middle of an empty place stood the shadow of someone silently, without any movement from any part of their body, remaining in place like an ancient bronze statue. 

Thump, thump, thump— 

If it weren't for the sound of their heartbeat echoing strongly and steadily, which resonated for miles in all directions of that empty space, and in addition to that, the sight of air moving in and out of their nostrils into their body in a rhythm of inhalation and exhalation, after all, these two things were the only indicators of life for a living being. Without them, one might initially think that the shadow of the person standing still was merely a stone statue rather than a living creature. 

For an unknown period of time, their faint yet strong heartbeat continued to pulse steadily, but without any sign of movement from the person standing still, not even a single part of their body. 

After another unknown period of time in that empty place, some parts of the person body began to move, and the first part to move was their eyes, which slowly and gently opened, blinking several times before finally opening completely. 

They began to scan their surroundings in an instant, and then their gaze captured the first image, sending it to the mind of the person, which was a vast and dark field, with white above and black below, appearing to be an unknown expanse that seemed unfamiliar to anyone, which at first appeared to the eyes as an endless emptiness. 

The person eyes widened in shock at the sight before them, which astonished them for a moment, leaving them stunned for a period of time. However, after less than three minutes, the person regained their composure from that astonishment and managed to calm down. At that moment, the second part of their body moved, which was their mouth, coinciding with a question that arose in their mind, leading the person to speak in confusion. 

"What is this place...?" 

"And where am I...?"

The sound of a low and slightly distorted voice echoed in all directions of that dark and empty place. Nevertheless, the person could not identify or understand exactly what made him feel confused while he was there, continuing to stare around him with curiosity in that dark place, feeling alienated by the empty and strange surroundings before him. However, the strangeness of that place was not particularly puzzling; rather, the true oddity was the person standing there feeling neither panic nor shock at finding himself in that empty and dark space, which was something very strange and even more perplexing than the dark and vacant area before his eyes.

Under normal circumstances, anyone else who found themselves in such a place would likely feel fear, then confusion, followed by shock, and even terror upon realizing their presence in such an empty and dark location. Well, this was the natural instinct of most ordinary people if they suddenly found themselves in such a vacant place. But for this person, who was characterized by deep calmness, the changes around him did not affect him strongly; it was merely puzzling for him.

After just a few minutes, the person shifted his gaze away from the empty space before him and directed it down to the ground beneath his feet, which was a clear and delicate surface resembling a pristine white glass. However, unlike the pristine white glass, the ground was black like black ink. 

The person stared for a while at the transparent black glass-like surface beneath him. After looking at it for some time and confirming that it was solid, he decided to move his body in an attempt to explore that empty place and discover what it was. 

By the command of his mind, he moved the third and final part of his body with a simple and calm step forward. Step by step, the person moved from his spot, taking about three steady steps without any problem. However, when he lifted his foot to take the fourth step, he...

- Crack, crack, crash - 

The black glass cracked suddenly under the weight of his four-footed step, shattering and falling down. 

- Crack, crack - 

- Crack, crack - 

- Crack, crack - 

At the same time, as pieces of the glass fell down, the echo of loud cracking noises resonated from various places around the person with force. 

- Crack, crack, crack - 

- Crack, crack, crack - 

The person felt like he was being shot at by a barrage of bullets from a heavy machine gun mounted on a military vehicle used in African countries below him. 

- Crack, crack, crack, crash, crash - 

Because of this, the person was momentarily stunned in place, making it difficult for him to react again in shock. In his daze, a sudden appearance emerged from the cracked opening of that small glass, where a large number of long metallic chains fell, resembling solid black steel chains that moved like a snake. They immediately lunged at the person, who had just regained his composure from the shock, not even giving him a single chance to attempt to escape or distance himself. 

- Twisting, twisting - 

With the same speed that they lunged at him, the black steel chains twisted around him and his entire body, then began pulling him down. 

- Splash, splash - 

Numerous drops of black ink flew into the air, resembling a large bucket of water being poured. The person fell forcefully into the ink, which looked like water. 

In the end, he fell into it, and inside it, which was pulling him down, he glanced for a few seconds, astonished by the sight of the thick black ink that resembled water. He then shifted his gaze downward and saw the group of black steel chains pulling him down. He continued to look at them for a moment, and behind him, in the deepest part, something huge and black with a dark hue appeared. At first glance, it seemed to him like a giant black hole, into which he had mistakenly fallen, beginning to pull him with the solid black steel chains around him.

After the person looked at the view behind those steel chains and imagined the terrifying thing that awaited him, like a gate of death opening before him, he opened his eyes to take his soul. The person's hair stood on end with fear and anxiety, prompting him to try with all his might to distance his body and mind quickly from that thing lurking in the depths of darkness. 

- Move, move, move - 

The person tried to move left and right with strength and speed once, then twice, then three times, then four, yet he could not move from those steel chains even after several more attempts. 

In the end, the person surrendered after numerous attempts, repeating them without any benefit or ability to move and free himself from those steel chains that felt like a strong and difficult trap holding him. 

As a result, the pulling of the steel chains began to accelerate, causing the person to lose all his resistance. 

In that state of surrender, fear began to overwhelm the person, and because of that, he started to try to scream in an attempt to call for help, hoping someone would hear him and try to save him. However, no sound came from his mouth, and he tried again, but still, no sound emerged. He attempted to move, but his body could not do so either. Consequently, the feeling of great fear transformed into a sense of panic, and as a result, he tried to cry, but no tears fell from his eyes, which only heightened his fear and terror to the point of finally plunging him into shock and despair. After that, the person began to lose his sense of his surroundings and even himself, sinking into hopelessness and complete surrender with both his body and mind. As a result, the person lowered his head in utter despair, staring into the dark abyss beneath him with its deep and endless darkness. 

- Feelings - 

An old melody began to play, resembling the opening of a door, and the first echoed another sound in time with the first, the voice of a witch resonating in the person head.

After hearing the sound, a moment later, a small, glowing light appeared, which began to grow and take the shape of a woman with an enchanting beauty unmatched in its splendor. Beside her, a thick mist emerged, filled with golden stars that enveloped the woman entire body, from the top of her head to the tips of her feet. Because of this, the person could not lift his head to see the source of the sound and the glowing light, nor could he discern the expression or face of the mysterious woman who appeared before him and began to approach him. As she drew closer, the radiant light around her shattered the chains that had bound him. Consequently, the person felt a flicker of light in his desperate eyes, then moved closer to the shadow of the mysterious woman, who whispered in his ear with an incredibly beautiful and enchanting voice. Her single word echoed throughout every part of his body, causing him to tremble entirely. 

"Awakening"

***

-Glow- 

Suddenly, in another place, a young man rose in alarm, causing beads of sweat to form on his face and cover his body from fear, anxiety, and tension. In that state, he turned his face slowly around the room he was in. 

In front of him, his gaze fixed on a long, closed door that he focused on like a target. He began to move his eyes slowly and gently away from it. To the right of the long door sat a very old wooden table, on which there was a collection of items. At the edge of the table lay a long, sharp knife with a handle that resembled a long dagger. Next to it was a very old metal vase, about half the length of an adult arm, made of two layers of outer and inner glass, with a short metal clasp at the top for holding. To the right of the vase was a neatly arranged stack of several very old books, one on top of the other. To the left of these books was a glass bottle, next to which lay a long feather with a pointed tip, resembling a fountain pen in design. Behind all these items on the table sat a very old wooden chair. 

After a short while of looking at the table and the wooden chair, he moved his eyes slowly again to the left, towards both the table and the chair, where he found a pair of rectangular wooden shutters that resembled a window, standing silently and allowing some cold air to seep in from beneath their opening. To the left of that window, in the center of the room, was a low wooden bed, on which the person was gazing at the strange surroundings before him. After surveying the entire room, he turned around. 

The person's mind tried to merge the complete image he had captured with the image stored in his mind. When merging the two images, the discrepancy and lack of resemblance were so significant that it left the young man mind in confusion for a longer period, unable to understand or grasp anything. 

The room before him was a small, old wooden cabin, not large like the room in his mind. Moreover, it did not seem to be of average size; in fact, it could be described as smaller than that. However, it was still somewhat spacious enough to accommodate a low wooden bed and several other items inside.

After glancing once more at the wooden shacks in front of him and blinking several times with his long eyelashes, which let his long hair fall in front of him, the young man took a deep, long breath. 

With that sigh, he managed to regain control and calm his body, yet his mind still seemed somewhat confused and did not fully settle, as he could not comprehend the other change happening within him. After a few more seconds, the young man opened his mouth and murmured, saying.

"A dream...!" 

The single word echoed from his lips throughout the dark corners of the wooden shacks, in a low voice tinged with some anxiety in his tone, which accurately described the illusion he had witnessed just moments before. 

But after a few more seconds, the young man began to contradict himself, slowly articulating.

"No, not exactly..." 

"It seemed to me like an illusion at first, but I am sure I felt it was real..." 

"That empty, dark place and those steel chains that bound my body..." 

"And especially the shape of that mysterious woman and her voice..." 

"I couldn't see her features because of the stardust swirling around her, but I am certain she told me something..." 

"Awakening..." 

"What does that mean...?"

The young man spoke slowly to himself as his mind began to return to a clearer state of thought. He pondered that strange dream he had while in this state of contemplation. He raised his gaze once more to the wooden huts in front of him, noticing that some parts of them were dark, which caught his attention due to his focused vision. At that moment, he realized that there was something peculiar about the situation.

The small room was relatively dark due to the night curtains, yet his focused field of vision was as clear as the sunrise in the morning. Something made the young man suddenly lift his eyes, and then he quickly turned his gaze around the entire hut again, but this time with speed. He noticed at first, and after looking at the completely dark room, he was certain.

"What the hell happened to my eyes..."