Zeke shook his head, trying to fully wake himself. Yet, for a while, his eyes refused to focus. The space in front of him, around him—everything felt surreal.
It took several minutes before his senses adjusted, allowing him to perceive the world in a way that felt familiar again. ɪꜰ ʏᴏᴜ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ᴛᴏ ʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴍᴏʀᴇ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs, ᴘʟᴇᴀsᴇ ᴠɪsɪᴛ novel~fire~net
That had been strange.
But the reason was obvious.
His gaze shifted to the portal leading into this strange world, then to the cube resting beyond it, securely placed on the wooden floor of his room in the Alexandria.
A small smile tugged at his lips. "It seems something amazing has fallen into my hands this time."
In his attempt to push against the boundaries of space, Zeke had discovered something unexpected. Unlike the real world, where space was a rigid, unyielding force, here, it was far more... malleable.
Not in the way that dough is soft and pliable, but in the way numbers and equations gain meaning in the hands of a skilled mathematician. This world was a playground for those who possessed the knowledge to shape it.
Unfortunately, Zeke did not have that knowledge, a fact that had become painfully clear through his nights of effort. But that was fine. As it turned out, the boundaries of the cube were not just a test, but something more.
They did not simply measure his understanding; they expanded it. They were both an exam and a lesson, a challenge that could be attempted as many times as needed. A door that, with enough time and effort, could be pushed ever further.
Zeke willed the world around him to bend to his command, a surge of excitement bubbling up inside him. Instantly, the furrows marking the boundaries of his domain were joined by a second set of lines, roughly a step further out in every direction.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
These were the fruits of his labor, the result of an entire night spent in relentless effort. Some might call it a pitiful gain compared to the time invested, but Zeke was not among them. He looked upon his accomplishment with pride.
The extra step of space itself meant little in practical terms—just a minor increase in storage within his personal domain. But that was not what excited him. No, what truly mattered was what this expansion represented.
It was proof of his growing understanding of Space itself.
Zeke glanced fondly at the place where the invisible walls once stood. What had once been a source of frustration now felt like an opportunity—an open door to something greater.
He still did not fully understand what this knowledge would grant him, how it would shape his magic, or in what ways it would strengthen him. Yet, he was certain of one thing: the insights he had gained over the past few hours were more profound than everything he had ever learned about Spatial Magic combined.
This went beyond spells, beyond the simple cantrips and incantations that humans relied on to wield magic. It was something deeper, something raw and fundamental. A truth woven into the very fabric of existence.
It was not the difference between a novice and a master but something far greater. As if, instead of merely learning to draw, he was learning to shape dreams into reality through sheer force of will. A step so far beyond the trivial tricks of modern magic that the two could scarcely be compared.
…He was getting ahead of himself.
At this moment, all Zeke had truly grasped was the outermost edge of the cube's mysteries. Just enough to understand how truly vast and incomprehensible its knowledge was, yet nowhere near enough to wield it.
For now, it was time to return to reality and address the more practical matters at hand. As much as he wanted to lose himself in the mysteries of this space, to immerse himself completely in its secrets, that was a luxury he could not afford.
He did not have the centuries it would take to unravel these truths. And even if he did, someone would eventually come for him. Someone stronger, someone ruthless, someone who would pry this treasure from his cold, dead hands.
No. If he wanted to keep the cube, he could not remain as weak as he was now.
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His strength, his position, his very existence had to rise to match the artifact in his possession. Otherwise, even the Soul Bond would not be enough to protect it. After all, there was one simple way to sever such a bond—his death.
Zeke turned his focus back to the boundary, gauging his progress.
The space within the cube was roughly the size of an average room in the Alexandria, large enough to store a few tons of ore if needed. But that was hardly a meaningful advantage for him. He had plenty of rooms.
His gaze drifted beyond, tracing the distant hills. If he could one day expand the boundaries that far, the possibilities would be endless.
Heck, he could dominate the continent's trade, transporting a nation's worth of resources at will. And that was one of the more restrained ideas racing through his mind. But before he could entertain such grand ambitions, he needed to confirm whether the cube truly functioned the way he imagined.
It was time for another round of experiments.
For the first time in hours, Zeke stepped through the portal, returning to the Alexandria. As before, he felt no resistance, no fluctuations, nothing to indicate he had crossed between two worlds. It was as seamless as stepping from one room into another.
His eyes landed on an object atop Maximilian's desk—a simple trinket, likely something to fidget with in idle moments. It was an intricate assembly of interlocking components, designed purely to engage the hands and mind.
Perfect. It would serve as the ideal test.
Without hesitation, Zeke picked it up and stepped back through the portal.
The transition was effortless. The trinket passed through without issue, unchanged by the shift from one reality to another.
Curious, he turned the crank. At once, the gears whirred to life, clicking and shifting in perfect harmony. It worked just as it had before.
Zeke couldn't help but smile, a small thrill of success rushing through him. But honestly, he had expected nothing less. His clothing had made the journey both ways without issue, so a slightly more complex object should have been no different.
But that was just the beginning. If he could bring something in, why not test bringing something out?
His hands moved toward the nearby stream. He cupped a handful of water and stepped back through the portal.
No resistance. No disruption. The water passed effortlessly from the cube to the outside world, dripping down his arm as he stared at it in disbelief.
Zeke brought it to his lips and drank. Fresh, cold—exactly as it had been inside the portal. The realization was almost surreal.
It meant that everything inside the portal was real. The water, the plants, the mountains, the trees—how was that possible?
The scene had been conjured from his memories, a place he had visited long ago. And yet, somehow, it had become reality again. Would understanding the cube's mysteries eventually reveal the answer?
Zeke couldn't be sure, but he had a feeling it would.
For now, though, there was no point in dwelling on what he couldn't yet grasp. A more immediate question demanded his attention. He needed to see if the cube could handle something more complex—something alive.
His mind raced through possibilities before settling on a simple choice: a plant. A living organism, small yet not insignificant. His gaze landed on a beautiful flower growing not too far away from the portal, its delicate petals drooping under the weight of its roots.
Carefully, he uprooted it, cradling the fragile thing in his hands as he approached the portal.
The moment the flower passed through the threshold, Zeke held his breath.
It didn't falter. The plant, dirt and all, emerged into the world outside. No illusion, no trick of the mind. It was real—alive.
He stood there for a moment, letting the enormity of the discovery sink in.
It had worked. It had actually worked.
Once again, he had uncovered another layer of the artifact's power. Not only could it bend space, but it could also transport things through it seamlessly—from one place to another. Even living things.
And as far as he could tell, there was no limit to this function.
He felt no strain, no drain of energy. Nothing. It seemed as if the only effort required was in opening the portal itself. Once that was done, it simply remained, like a natural part of the world. It wasn't something that needed constant magic to sustain—just as a door didn't need strength to keep it open once it had been pushed.
Curious about one more thing, Zeke nudged the cube with his foot, eyes fixed on the portal.
As the cube scraped against the wooden floor, the portal shifted with it, maintaining a constant distance from the artifact that had created it.
The thought struck him out of nowhere, but the longer he considered it, the more sense it made. The artifact was called the World Anchor. And indeed, it seemed to anchor an entire world in place, fixing its entrance to a single location.
There was something more, though. The moment Zeke touched the cube, he felt it—his connection to it, his control. With a single thought, he could close the portal, make it vanish as if it had never existed.
There was still too much to learn, and he wasn't sure if he could reopen it once closed. He had felt how much energy it took to activate the portal when the cube was depleted—an amount that would take him weeks to restore with his current strength.
No. He would leave it open for now.
His gaze shifted to the flower in his hands, then to the window where the soft light of dawn filtered in. The pant was fragile but alive, and it had crossed the threshold of the cube without issue.
Just to be sure, Zeke placed the flower in a pot and set it on the windowsill. He would watch it closely, ensure it thrived in the world outside. Only then would he dare to test the cube's limits further—perhaps with something bigger, something more complex.
For now, he allowed himself a moment to breathe. He had uncovered something monumental—an artifact that could reshape reality itself. And he was only beginning to grasp its true potential.
As he leaned back in his chair, the flower beside him, his mind raced with possibilities. What else could the cube do? What other secrets lay hidden within?
For now, he let the warmth of the sunlight wash over him, letting the excitement settle. He had only scratched the surface. The world, it seemed, was about to open up in ways he had never imagined.