Chapter Thirteen: The Nameless Dimension
Ryan didn't feel his first step; instead, he felt as though he had fallen into the depths of his own consciousness, in a space that couldn't be measured by time or place.
The portal, which had created him and through which he entered at the end of the previous chapter, had vanished behind him, as though it never existed.
But this place… was not just a dimension.
It was an idea.
Shadows of colors moved, despite the absence of light, walls that breathed and expanded, whispers spoken without sound, reaching his mind, not his ears.
He felt as though he was walking over a sea of others' memories, each step awakening a past that wasn't his.
He suddenly stopped when he sensed something approaching.
Not a body, nor a creature.
But a will.
From the void, a human-like form appeared. Transparent, without features, yet radiating a familiar energy.
It spoke to him without moving its lips:
"Hello, you who have passed through the reflections. Do you know where you are?"
Ryan answered, his voice more confident now:
"In the next dimension… or at least at the beginning of it."
The entity laughed, a laugh without echo:
"No, you are in the nameless dimension… where names are erased, and essences are tested."
Ryan looked around, but saw nothing that hinted at any test.
He asked:
"And what is expected of me here?"
The entity replied:
"To stay… without losing yourself.
To see… without being deceived.
To speak… without using your tongue.
To remember… what you have yet to live."
The surroundings began to change. The ground became as if made of glass, upon which images were displayed…
Images of a future that had not yet occurred.
He saw himself holding a dead body.
Then he saw himself fighting a dear friend.
Then he saw himself handing something precious to a being bathed in light.
His heart trembled.
"Is this… my destiny?"
But the voice returned:
"Destiny is not an image… it is a possibility. We show you what may happen… so you can choose how to change."
As he pondered the visions, he felt something creeping inside him… a thought, a feeling, as though the entity was trying to penetrate him.
He resisted, focusing on his being, recalling everything he had learned.
The ground beneath his feet opened up, and he fell into a black void, unable to even see himself.
Then a light appeared… but this time, it emanated from within him.
He saw an old memory… he was a young child, holding his brother's hand, laughing together as they played on the roof of their house.
Then the same memory appeared… but the brother's hand disappeared suddenly, and Ryan was left crying alone.
The voice spoke from within him:
"If I gave you the chance to change everything… would you?"
Ryan remained silent for a long time, then said:
"No. What happened shaped me. And if I changed it… I wouldn't be who I am now."
There was a deep silence. Then Ryan emerged from the void, finding the entity waiting for him, smiling this time.
It spoke:
"You have passed the consciousness test. You are now qualified to see beyond the dimension… to enter the core of the fabric."
Ryan asked, in awe:
"And what is the core of the fabric?"
The entity replied, then began to fade:
"Where fate is woven. Where stories are stitched. Where you can… rewrite the unwriteable."
The space split open, and a portal appeared, unlike any other.
It seemed to be made of sounds, memories, and the beat of his heart.
Ryan stepped through… and a new phase began.
But this time, he was no longer just a traveler between dimensions.
He had become a part of them.
— End of Chapter Thirteen —