Ra thought Arthur was too eager and too hasty to accept his condition, without even understanding what it entailed. It is true the boy had a powerful and unique soul, capable of surviving, nay existing outside of A world. He had naturally formed an astral body for himself even without realizing it and he was able to create a perfect bubble around his thoughts freely.
His admiration for the Hero of Terros reminded Ra about his own people. oh how they admired and worshipped him, their faith in his power unshakable. while his existence was racked by guilty and shame, he often wondered if another Being would have done the same in his place or chosen to die.
Now here was Arthur eager to help his hero in his war and face the demon king. What choice would he make when he witnesses that power. what face will he make before Absolute despair?
To know the true terror of the demon king, one must first attain the Pinnacle of power and only by realizing how hopeless their efforts have been would they see the abyss of death and true despair.
Ra was determined to take Arthur to the Pinnacle and to see his answer.
The boy had accepted the Deal and Ra would honor it.
"Let's see how far your soul can take you Arthur!" He said im his mind.
"Then here i come!" Ra said to Arthur and then dissolved into a Giant Cloud of dark mist with red threads of energy swirling within. The great cloud of mist engulfed Arthur. As he stood there it begun twisting like a whirlwind as it descended into his being. it felt like sucking in all the air around you into your body. And Arthur felt heavier and heavier as the mist reduced. Soon there was no mist left, except the spirit of a boy standing within the void between worlds.
'I am within your soul!' Arthur had a voice within his mind. louder than any thought that would have been his. Ra!
'As i suspected, your soul is strong enough to hold me, even though i am a remnant of my former might!'
Hearing Ra's thoughts against his own within his mind while being completely aware that they were not his own was a disturbing experience.
'Well, what happens now?' Arthur thought as he directed his thoughts to Ra.
'First i will teach you how to navigate the void' Ra replied.
Suddenly Arthur's awareness changed. It felt like it was expanding. First he became aware of his existence. He had a body. an ethereal body resembling his original body.
'This is your astral body', Ra told him.
'It is woven and maintained by your will around your soul from your soul energy. it is shaped by your thoughts and self image. it is what keeps your soul whole outside of a vessel.'
Arthur had thought he had just been a mass of consciousness floating in this endless expanse.
His spiritual awareness continued to expand until he was aware of a pool of light? within his core and a vast mass within that pool.
'The pool of light is the soul energy you possess, meager as it is and i am the vast mass you are holding within your soul.'
'How are you doing this?' Arthur asked panicked that Ra seemed to have access to his mind while awakening awareness of things Arthur wasn't aware of.
'I am simply imposing my will upon your consciousness and pointing it in a certain direction.'
Ra's answer sounded eerie similar to mind control!
'Relax i will not impose my will upon your will.'
That didn't alleviate Arthur. Ra had all but affirmed it was possible. He suddenly had a strong urge to push Ra out of his soul.
'If you so desire to then i will leave. And you will be on your own in the void between worlds.'
Ra said. And the alternative sounded scarier. Arthur needed Ra's help he had to bear with his actions.
Suddenly the moon and the vast planet above it disappeared and Arthur found himself in a Vast sea of stars. like floating in the middle of the sky on a starry night.
'This is the void between worlds' Ra said. 'The moon we were on was simply a construct of my will, just like the bubble around your thoughts.'
'The void is endless with finite worlds floating within' Ra went on to say.
Arthur awareness picked up infinite threads of energy swirling within the void. Like currents within an ocean. The threads were endless and of all colors and non.
'These are currents of raw aether, the building blocks of energy and essence within worlds. By following those currents to a Nexus vortex, You will find a world.'
As Ra spoke, Arthur Understood how to travel through the void. He simply willed himself to flow along with the currents and it felt like he was a fish being pulled by water currents as he swam in the sea of of the universe.
Then he saw it. Far ahead of him here where distance had no meaning, the Currents of energy were swirling around a Massive Sphere shaped Nebula. The Nebula was a chaotic expanse of Cosmic dust with cluster of stars shining deep within its center.
Arthur could not scale it as he had never seen anything this huge in his existence.
It filled his vision as the currents he rode brought him closer.
'This is a world!' Ra said. 'A realm of existence within The universe. Threads of raw aether within the void condense into Cosmic energy and cosmic essence as they flow into a world.'
'And this world before us.. is your birth world!'
As Arthur looked upon the Cosmic mass before him, he came to understand what Ra meant by a world, it was not just a single planet but an entire realm. With it's own Dimensions, Stellar and planetary bodies within. A cosmic eco system!
'Do you wish to step into your world?' Ra asked him. 'With your soul being a native of this world and your ability, this should be natural for you'
'No!' Arthur reply came with swiftness. There were no good memories for him in this world. Everything that kept him alive came from watching the hero's journey. There was only one world he wished to step into.
With his new found perception, Arthur pushed away from the Currents flowing into his old world. And like a fish seeking familiar waters, he searched with his awareness for the currents his spirit had ridden for ten years past, when his body fell asleep back in his world.
Space had no definition in the void. Everything was close and far at the same time. As the world before him dimmed from his awareness, he found himself being tugged along familiar currents.
It felt like when he fell asleep and his dreams begun, except this time, he was aware of the currents taking him.
'Impressive!' Ra said.
His astral form was drawn to another Nebula, This one bigger than the first one. The gravity of this world pulled at him and he welcomed it. The glowing sphere of colorful swirling energy was the world of Terros. The hero's world. And As Arthur stood before it, there was only longing in his heart.
Suddenly he became aware of something. Thick shadow tendrils flowed into this sphere, intertwining with the luminous currents flowing around the nebula. The shadow tendrils formed some sort of bridge as Arthur traced them to their Source.
Another Nebula, at the edge of Arthur's awareness, being pulled in to Terrors by the bridge of dark energy. It was a void like orb of darkness in contrast with the glowing sphere of energy that was Terros. It pulsed waves of darkness about it. And threads of shadow flowed from it towards Terros.
Instinctively he knew what he was looking at. This nebula that was akin to a black hole than a world. Even as Ra told him what he was looking at.
'That is the Demon world!'