Beyond the Shadow’s Grip

As "N" wandered through a realm where time bore no name and place offered no identity, he felt his steps were no longer mere motion—they were keys tampering with the ancient lock of dimensional gates.

He stopped, drew his sword, glanced around, then murmured:"The triple perception… Soul, Mind, Body."

He struck the void.But it wasn't void—it was a fragile weave of reality barely holding together.The strike tore through the stillness of existence, and the dimension trembled, unraveling into a strip of endless possibilities.

As "N" stared into the fractured reality, a figure appeared before him.He looked… identical.

The stranger spoke, voice laced with confidence and mockery:"Who are you?"

"N" replied coldly:"I am one who doesn't belong here."

The figure laughed:"I'm Zas. The greatest this land has ever created. Looks like you've uncovered the existential truth?"

"N" fell silent, then asked slowly:"So… you're a copy? Of me?"

Zas burst into laughter:"A copy? What a cosmic joke."

In a flash, he drew his sword and attacked.

The first strike: crushing, aimed directly at the heart."N" activated partial perception—his right foot shifted back just in time, dodging the attack.

The second strike from Zas: mental—an assault of concepts meant to shatter "N's" mind."N" staggered, shaken.

But he gathered his soul and invoked Soul Perception: The Writer.A silent scream echoed through the dimension, followed by a lightning bolt descending from line fifty-six million in the eighth circle.The light was black, the wind mute.

Zas tried to block it, but was pushed back, stunned:"What is that perception?!"

"N" advanced quickly. He struck—but Zas mirrored his moves.Each movement was familiar. The logic of battle was shared.

Zas retreated fifteen steps, stood firm, his right hand above his left, sword glowing like it remembered a history of blood.

He spoke:"I remember nothing before I turned twenty-five. I was a slave to the hounds until someone taught me perception… someone I can't recall."

Time froze.

"N" asked:"And was he the one who freed you?"

Zas shook his head:"He's the one who shackled me."

Then whispered, barely audible:"Yalatis the First..."

The name echoed in "N's" mind like a needle driven into his nerves.Suddenly, a voice thundered inside him:"Leave this place. It is forbidden to you."

"N" collapsed.

Zas looked at him with pity:"N… what's happening to you now, happened to me long ago. You are not alone."

"N" screamed:"If you, I, Kantis, and Adlof are all the same… why do you know more than I do?"

Zas answered calmly:"Because you never asked. You kept running. Knowledge isn't given—it's seized."

The place began to disintegrate. The dimensional structure collapsed.

"N" shouted:"Who is Yalatis?!"

Zas replied:"He is the one who tests us… and uses us. None of us know whether we're walking on our own… or being walked by him."

As "N" was pulled from the dimension, he heard Zas's final words:

"We are all vessels… but which vessel will shatter first? And which one will turn against its maker?"

**

In the void, "N" regained consciousness.He wasn't sure if he was still himself… or merely an echo.

**

A strange voice whispered in his mind:"You'll know who you are… only once you've broken completely. Only then will you earn the right to ask."

"NEW Cover under construction — if you have an idea that could help me, Insta user: a1.katb"