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Kaipo woke up in a cold sweat, his heart pounding as he found himself in a massive, vacant castle. The stone walls were dark, cold, and devoid of life. He sat in a black throne at the center of the room, disoriented, with no memory of how he got there. The eerie silence pressed against him, and the only sound was his own shallow breathing.
“Archanos?” Kaipo called out, his voice echoing through the empty halls. No response came.
He stood up, glancing around, his instincts on edge. Just as his feet touched the ground, a figure appeared from the shadows.
"Don't worry Kaipo, I know I look weird, but I'm Archanos," the figure said, stepping into the dim light.
Kaipo stared at the man, his brows furrowing in confusion. "No, you're not," he muttered. Something was off—the energy signatures weren’t right.
The figure looked down, a sinister grin spreading across his face. He began to chuckle softly, but the chuckle quickly turned into maniacal laughter that echoed through the castle. Kaipo tensed as tens, then hundreds of identical figures appeared around him, their laughter growing louder, their movements erratic. His head began to spin, his vision warping as dizziness took hold.
"What’s happening?" Kaipo thought, trying to steady himself as everything swirled in chaos. The figures began to close in, and just as they were about to engulf him—
Kaipo jolted awake, gasping for breath.
He was no longer in the castle. He found himself lying in a vast field, the scent of fresh grass and the sound of chirping birds filling the air. The landscape around him seemed peaceful, but there was an odd, vintage quality to it. A small house stood alone in the distance, smoke rising lazily from its chimney.
“What... what is this place?” Kaipo muttered to himself, trying to piece together the strange occurrences.
He began walking toward the house, his steps slow and cautious. When he entered, he was met with a familiar sight—Archanos, casually brewing tea by the fireplace.
“Welcome to the hallucination planet, planet 10,” Archanos said without looking up, his voice calm and casual.
Kaipo’s eyes widened. "What? Planet 10? No, we were just on the 4th planet. How did we get here?"
Archanos turned to face him, his expression darkening. Before Kaipo could react, Archanos lunged at him with impossible speed, his mouth wide open, revealing sharp fangs. Kaipo instinctively moved to defend himself, but—
He woke up again.
This time, Kaipo was on a small wooden boat, drifting aimlessly in the middle of a vast, empty ocean. He looked around, completely disoriented. Waves gently rocked the boat, but there was nothing in sight—no land, no other boats, nothing but endless water stretching out to the horizon.
"What the hell is going on?" Kaipo shouted in frustration, clutching his head. His mind felt fractured, his thoughts tangled in a web of confusion.
In a fit of rage, Kaipo screamed into the void, trying to make sense of the endless waking nightmares. "I’m going insane!"
As Kaipo tried to steady himself, another figure appeared on the boat—a shadowy figure wielding a sword. Without warning, the figure swung the blade at Kaipo’s neck. The blade moved so quickly that Kaipo didn’t have time to react, and as it made contact with his skin—
He woke up again.
This time, he wasn’t in a castle, field, or ocean. Kaipo found himself standing in a place that defied all logic and comprehension—an endless white expanse. There was no sky, no ground, no horizon—just pure, blinding whiteness in every direction. It felt like he was floating, though he could still feel the weight of his own body.
"Where am I now?" Kaipo wondered aloud, his voice echoing unnaturally in the void.
He began walking, though it was unclear if he was moving at all in the boundless white. Then, in the distance, he spotted something—an ornate pedestal. As he approached, he saw that resting atop the pedestal was a single, ancient piece of paper. The title on the paper was written in elegant cursive: 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐸𝓈𝓈𝑒𝓃𝒸𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝑀𝒶𝓃𝒾𝒻𝑒𝓈𝓉𝒶𝓉𝒾𝑜𝓃.
Kaipo stared at the paper, its edges worn and fragile from age, but the text was still readable. His curiosity piqued, and despite everything he had endured, Kaipo felt a strange pull toward the paper.
He called out again for Archanos, hoping for answers. But once again, there was no reply.
"Maybe this... maybe this is the key," Kaipo thought. "Maybe this can get me out of the Time Gap Portal and back home."
With nothing else to guide him, Kaipo began reading the paper. It detailed the path to obtaining a power unlike any other—a power called Essence Manifest. The instructions were cryptic and complex, requiring intense discipline and mastery over mind, body, and soul.
Driven by desperation and hope, Kaipo threw himself into studying the paper. He dedicated himself completely, spending what felt like years trying to unlock the power, following every direction down to the finest detail. Yet, despite his efforts, he made no progress.
Unknown to Kaipo, over a hundred years had passed in the Infinite Plane as he remained trapped. His body never aged, but his mind grew weary from the endless attempts to unlock the Essence Manifest. He began to lose hope.
Finally, after years of failure, Kaipo made a decision—he would take a different approach. He sat down and began to meditate, focusing not on the words of the paper but on the connection between his mind and soul. He called this meditation The Soul’s Unveiling.
The first stage was brutal. Kaipo had to confront his deepest fears, regrets, and insecurities. Every mistake, every failure played out in front of him as if they were happening again. But instead of succumbing to the pain, Kaipo faced it head-on, maintaining perfect clarity and control. Only by accepting every part of himself—light and dark—could he continue.
In the next stage, Kaipo sought to meld his mind and soul into one harmonious entity. The process was excruciating, as his soul resisted the constraints of the physical and mental. But slowly, Kaipo began to unlock the true nature of the Essence Manifest.
Years turned into centuries, and Kaipo remained deep in meditation, his physical body untouched by time. He no longer sought to control the power but allowed it to flow freely within him, becoming one with the Essence Manifest. His mind, body, and soul aligned perfectly, transcending all limitations.
Finally, after thousands of years in the Infinite Plane, Kaipo's body radiated with an immense energy. The Essence Manifest was unlocked in full, granting him not just power, but an understanding of how to wield it in perfect balance.
As Kaipo stood, his body glowing with radiant energy, a voice echoed through the Infinite Plane.
"Astonishing... you've done it."
It was Archanos.
ns 15.158.11.167da2
