Rain cautiously stepped forward, the cool, glowing water rippling around his ankles. Every step felt weightless, yet the sensation of the water moving beneath him was undeniably real. He gazed up at the massive blue moon hanging in the sky, its glow reflecting off the endless ocean like scattered stardust.

  ‘Is this still my inner realm?’ he wondered, taking in the surreal beauty around him. There was no nd in sight, only the vast, shimmering expanse stretching endlessly in every direction. Despite its strangeness, the pce didn’t feel hostile. If anything, it felt… familiar. Almost welcoming.

  He clenched his fists, recalling the struggle with the rupture. ‘I broke through… but what now?’

  As if in response to his thoughts, a faint hum echoed through the air, like a whisper just beyond his understanding. Rain stilled, his pulse quickening. He wasn’t alone here.

  From the vast, star-lit sky, a faint shimmer descended, like a droplet of moonlight breaking away from the heavens. As it neared, its form became clearer—a wisp of luminous energy, no rger than a clenched fist, swirling with shades of deep blue and silver. It flickered gently, shifting in shape like mist caught in an unseen breeze.

  The wisp of light danced around him, leaving behind faint trails of blue as it moved. Rain tensed, instinctively reaching for his sword—only to grasp at nothing. A cold realization settled in.

  ‘Of course… I don’t have it here.’

  His heart pounded as he took a cautious step back, eyes locked onto the glowing entity. It moved without hostility, almost pyfully, yet there was something undeniably otherworldly about it.

  ‘What is this thing?

  The wisp circled him a few more times before hovering directly in front of his chest.

  Rain froze as the wisp hovered mere inches from his chest. Then, to his shock, he heard a voice—his own but it was the voice he had when he was a younger.

  "You finally made it."

  His breath hitched. The voice wasn’t just simir—it was him. The wisp pulsed with light, its glow intensifying as it drifted closer.

  "Took you long enough."

  Rain swallowed, his mind racing. ‘What… is this? Why does it sound like a younger version of me?’

  He instinctively took a step back, but the wisp followed effortlessly, as if drawn to him. His own voice, coming from it.

  Rain narrowed his eyes, confusion settling in. "What... are you?"

  The wisp flickered with excitement, its glow pulsing gently. "Great question! I'm you! Well... a part of you."

  Before Rain could react, the wisp darted forward, stopping just inches from his face. Its voice carried an almost pyful energy. "I'm your inner self."

  Rain instinctively leaned back, eyes narrowing as he tried to make sense of what he was hearing. His inner self?

  "You’re... me?" he repeated, still puzzled.

  The wisp pulsed with a soft glow, as if nodding. "Yes! Well, a piece of you. The part connected to essence," it said, its tone carrying an odd mix of excitement and certainty. "I've always been here, waiting for you to finally reach out."

  Rain furrowed his brows. "Waiting for me?"

  The wisp twirled pyfully around him before stopping right in front of his face again. "Of course! You can't converse with essence without first understanding yourself." It let out a soft, amused hum. "And let me tell you, you took your time getting here."

  Rain let out a slow breath, his initial caution giving way to curiosity. His inner self... connected to essence? He had no idea what that truly meant, but if this was the key to understanding the power of essence and how he can utilize it, he needs to listen attentively.

  Rain furrowed his brows, still trying to process what he was seeing. "So... what exactly do you do?"

  The wisp twirled around him, its glow shimmering pyfully. "Oh, lots of things! But right now, I’m here to help you."

  Rain crossed his arms. "Help me how?"

  The wisp let out a soft hum. "By showing you how to use essence duh!"

  Rain asked. "So how do I then?"

  The wisp got closer and said. "Eager are we?"

  The wisp spun around Rain pyfully before stopping in front of him. "Alright, since you've already broken through, all that's left is learning how to use essence properly."

  It floated higher, twirling through the air. "Think of this ocean as essence, and yourself as a bucket."

  Rain raised a brow. "A bucket?"

  The wisp let out an exaggerated groan. "Let me finish!" It cleared its throat before continuing, "You're a fragile bucket. You can fill yourself with essence, but only for a limited time each day before you overflow or crack."

  The wisp darted closer to Rain’s face in an instant. “That’s what you are now—a conduit for essence. Now that your inner realm has been opened, you can finally channel it.”

  "Try focusing all your essence into one part of your body—like your fist," the wisp said pyfully, circling around Rain.

  "How? I don’t even think I have any essence in my body yet, let alone know how to focus it on one part," Rain said.

  The wisp let out an amused hum. "Oh? You can't see them yet?"

  Before Rain could respond, the wisp darted forward and slipped into his eye.

  Rain flinched, his hands instinctively reaching for his face. "What the hell!?"

  The wisp's voice echoed from within him, reverberating through his mind.

  "Close your eyes."

  Rain hesitantly followed the wisp's instruction, shutting his eyes.

  A moment passed in silence before the wisp's voice echoed again.

  "Now, open them."

  As he opened his eyes, he saw it—essence. It drifted through the air like tiny, glowing particles carried by the wind, swirling and flowing all around him.

  The wisp spoke, its voice light yet firm, "Command them to give their strength to you."

  Rain could only ask, "How?"

  The wisp chuckled. "You’re overthinking it. Just reach out, feel them, and will them to come to you."

  Rain furrowed his brows. Feel them? He focused on the glowing particles drifting in the air. They moved like dust caught in the sunlight, swirling, ever-present yet untouchable. He stretched out his hand, trying to grasp them, but they slipped through his fingers like mist.

  "They won’t come to you like that," the wisp said, amusement cing its voice. "You need to connect with them. They respond to intent, not force."

  Rain took a deep breath. Intent... He closed his eyes, recalling the way Diego commanded essence, the way he seemed to pull strength from nothing. If essence was a part of him now, then he just had to—

  A warmth spread through his chest. When he opened his eyes, the glowing particles around him drifted closer, drawn in like leaves caught in a current. His fingers tingled.

  "Good," the wisp encouraged. "Now, guide them. Direct them to your fist. Like tilting a bucket to its side, try to focus them in one part of you."

  Rain concentrated, trying to pull the energy down his arm. The warmth traveled sluggishly, resisting, like water fighting against an unfamiliar path. His fingers twitched as a faint glow surrounded his hand.

  The wisp giggled. "Not bad for your first try."

  The wisp ordered in a pyful tone, "Now swing your fist."

  Rain, still unsure but trusting the process, clenched his glowing fist and swung it forward.

  The moment his punch cut through the air, a faint ripple of energy followed, distorting the space around his knuckles. It wasn't anything grand, but he felt it—a surge of power, however brief.

  The wisp let out an excited ugh. "See? You're already getting the hang of it!"

  The wisp leapt out of his eye in a joyful manner, twirling through the air like a pyful spark. "Not bad, not bad at all!" it chirped.

  Rain flexed his fingers, still feeling the lingering sensation of essence coursing through his fist. "So... that was essence?"

  "Yep! Just a small taste of what you can do," the wisp replied, hovering in front of him. "But don’t get ahead of yourself. Controlling essence takes practice. Right now, you're just tilting the bucket."

  The wisp hovered in front of Rain, its glow pulsing softly.

  "Oh?" The wisp floated up as if it noticed something.

  "It's almost time, huh?" it said, its usual pyful tone now carrying a hint of something else—anticipation, maybe even a bit of sadness.

  Rain asked in puzzlement. "Almost time for what?"

  Then suddenly Rain's inner world was starting to crack. Faint fractures ran through the sky, and the once-still ocean beneath his feet began to ripple unnaturally.

  He frowned, gncing around in confusion. "What's happening?"

  The wisp, still floating nearby, let out a soft chuckle. "You're waking up."

  Before Rain could process its words, the cracks spread rapidly, and the world around him shattered like broken gss.

  Just before the darkness fully consumed his vision, Rain caught a glimpse of the wisp, its tiny form glowing warmly as it hovered in front of him.

  "We'll see each other again," it said, its voice carrying a pyful lilt. "Don't forget what you learned."

  Before Rain could respond, everything faded.

  A dull throbbing settled in his body, his limbs stiff and aching. The scent of damp earth filled his nose, and distant murmurs reached his ears. His eyelids fluttered open.

  He was back.