The moment Kai harnessed the power of his spiritual teleportation, he felt himself being pulled into a swirling vortex. It was as if he was caught inside a tumultuous sea, his body weightless, floating upwards toward an unknown destination.
The path to travel through the multiverse demanded traversing 12 different echo worlds. In this ethereal space, Kai had the distinct impression that the echoless world was pushing him upwards, just like a buoyant piece of wood rising to the surface of the water.
As Kai and his loyal companion, Irina, arrived in the first echo world, they were greeted by a desolate landscape devoid of vegetation. The air felt frigid, and an eerie silence hung in the atmosphere. Strange islands floated in the sky, casting a shadow that blocked out the sun.
"This is the echo world, Master," Irina said, seating herself on the ground. The heat emanating from the ground felt unfamiliar and uncomfortable against her skin.
"Hmm! Let's leave this place. I have a strange feeling about it," Kai declared, his instincts alerting him to potential danger. Unbeknownst to him, the plan to travel through the multidimension was viewed as ill-fated from someone else's perspective.
Without hesitation, Kai leaped into another portal, once again experiencing the sensation of sinking and rising, akin to drifting wood in the sea. Moments later, his consciousness returned, and he found himself in another echo world.
"Master, why do we feel such strangeness inside the portal? It's an eerie sensation," Irina voiced her curiosity, her eyes searching for answers.
Kai chuckled, comprehending Irina's sentiment. "You see, our senses function much like those of humans. The space we traverse lacks air, water, light—essentially, it is composed of nothingness. That's why we are unable to feel anything. It's a state akin to death."
"So, it's a place close to death," Irina mused.
"Yes. Shall we continue?" Kai confirmed, and they embarked on teleportation once more, journeying through the void world. They encountered various scenarios, experiencing the diverse landscapes of each echo world they visited.
After reaching the seventh echo world, they sensed their destination drawing near. However, as soon as they touched down on the eighth world, an unexpected event unfolded—they encountered someone who bore an uncanny resemblance to Kai.
"Ahh, finally, the eighth world!" Irina exclaimed, her joy evident as they emerged from the void transversion field. With only three worlds remaining until their ultimate destination, their journey had been relatively uneventful thus far.
Unbeknownst to them, their guard lowered in the eighth world, and they began to relish their time there. Suddenly, a voice shattered the silence, reverberating through the surroundings. Footsteps approached.
"Irina, come here!" Kai swiftly turned towards the source of the sound, realizing that traveling through the echo world was no ordinary feat.
"Well, well, isn't that the young master and his lovely maid?" a sarcastic voice echoed, as another figure, identical to Kai, appeared before them.
But it was not just physical appearance that mirrored Kai. This doppelgänger possessed an alarming strength, surpassing or equaling that of the real Kai.
"Master! Focus on teleportation; I will defend against his attacks," Irina took her stance, positioning herself protectively in front of Kai.
Kai nodded, acknowledging her loyalty. Both he and Irina were fatigued, as their opponent had likely utilized a similar technique to traverse the multiverse.
"You don't understand, do you?" the doppelgänger taunted, a smirk playing on his lips. He leisurely approached them, his steps echoing ominously.
Suddenly, gravity shifted, turning their world upside down. Kai and Irina plummeted to the right, as if gravity had been inverted, sending them tumbling like falling rocks down a steep incline.
Had they remained in Eden, where Kai possessed omnipotence, no harm could have befallen them. However, using all his prana to resist the doppelgänger's magic had left Kai no choice but to engage in combat.
"Irina!" Kai shouted, as Irina summoned a thin wing, allowing her to hover while she held onto Kai, both being pulled towards a stronger gravitational force.
"Irina, brace yourself! We must leave this place, or he will overpower us!" Determined, Kai cast a spell, enveloping them in darkness, ensuring their escape from the portal.
Despite their successful escape, unease lingered within Kai. The sensation of being sucked into the next world's entrance faded as he landed on solid ground, yet his mental unrest persisted.
"Irina, are you alright?" Kai's gaze turned to his loyal companion. To his astonishment, Irina's spiritual body hovered next to him, but her physical body had not emerged from the portal. Disbelief clouded his face.
"No, it can't be. A person cannot exist within the void passage. How did he accomplish this?" Kai's expression darkened, his attention now focused on the frozen, stone-like body of Irina being carried on the back of another man.
"My past self merely froze the time within that girl's body in that world. After all, she was once human, and her body remains subject to the flow of time," the doppelgänger explained, a chuckle escaping his lips. He resembled a more mature version of Kai, and his demeanor revealed a cruel satisfaction at having achieved the impossible. The loss of his first love before him now rendered Kai shocked and pitiful.
"Yes, that's right, Kai. Even if you leave, as a spirit, her body will disintegrate into another world. Moreover, I have linked this portal to the last one. Once you jump in, you'll survive, but her spirit will be obliterated within the void, never to return."
"Why? We never met before, and there was no animosity between us. So why do you seek to take away those who are dear to me?" Irina's tear-filled eyes locked onto Kai, her voice trembling with anguish.
"Why? Hahaha, that's quite amusing, kid. But there's no need for me to explain to a child who's about to die," the doppelgänger sneered. The world echoed with a howl akin to a king's, and in that moment, his body ignited in white lightning, as if consumed by the power of the White Monarch. Then, he vanished.
Within Kai's soul, an electronic voice resounded, triggering a disintegration of his physical body as he felt a forceful blow to his chest. Time, space, and emptiness froze at that precise moment, while Kai's spiritual soul awakened.
"A monarch is awakened..."
[Soul Binding Confirmed.]
"A soul blazes across another era."
[Your modest talent has earned my recognition, kid.]
"A rise and fall is on the horizon, witnessing the awakening of an ancient Lord."
"I will give you another chance. Return to your origin."
"Your origin as a human kid."
To be continued...