Darkness pressed in from every direction.

Just the void.

"What... is this?" His voice—or whatever passed for it—echoed in the emptiness.

Silence.

Then, the darkness shifted. Tiny points of light blinked into existence—stars scattered across the endless black. One cluster stood out, drawing him closer.

A window appeared before him, its edges flickering like a fragile glass pane, glowing faintly in the void. The surface was smooth, yet the words that appeared on it shifted as though they were being written in real-time.

Title: Keeper of the Unseen Chains

Mission: Forge Your Own Path.

"What..."

"What is this screen?" He thought, trying to touch it. His hand phased right through it.

"Is this a dream?" he muttered.

[This is not a dream, sadly.]

Suddenly, a voice echoed in the silence. Looking around, there was no one—only the endless darkness surrounding him. He wanted to panic, but for some reason, he felt calm.

"What... what do you mean? Who are you, talking to me?"

"Where are you?" he asked, his voice steady despite the confusion inside him.

Though countless questions raced through his mind, he felt strangely calm, as if a part of him had already accepted this new reality.

[I am the screen in front of you.]

"...What do you mean, you're the screen?" He stared at the glowing window, trying to comprehend.

[It's hard to explain.] The voice seemed to hesitate.

[But to put it simply, you remember dying, right?]

"Yeah... how could I forget?" His voice was quieter now, as he recalled the helplessness, the fading of life. "It felt like I had no control, nothing I could do."

[That sensation is gone now.] The voice was calm, almost matter-of-fact. [You're in a state of higher awareness. Your emotions, the panic, the fear—they won't overwhelm you anymore.]

"So... I'm not feeling what I should be?" He paused, processing. "It's like I've been meditating for years, and now I can think clearly."

[Meditation is a way to calm the mind, a way to elevate your state of being. And that's where you are now.]

"A higher state of mind, huh?" he muttered to himself.

[Exactly. You are now a Constellation, beyond the limits of mortal beings. Emotions still exist, but they don't have the same grip on you. Panic, fear—they're much less powerful.]

"Oh..." He absorbed this new information, trying to make sense of it.

"And what exactly is a Constellation?"

[A Constellation is a being born from the 'Sky', with the power to influence the laws of existence.]

"Wait... by 'Sky,' do you mean Universe? "

[Yes.]

He let out a slow breath, as understanding began to settle in. "Okay... I think I get it now."

[Good.]

[Now, let me show you your powers.]

The window shifted, revealing a list:

Powers Overview:

Authority of Absolute Nullification: Nullify anything—be it physical, magical, or even emotional.

Authority of Unseen Chains: Control chains that bind the body, mind, and even concepts themselves.

He read the words, still trying to grasp the magnitude of it all.

"This... This feels unreal," he whispered, his mind reeling.

He stared at his hands, flexing his fingers. His skin, still warm, still human. But... if he was a Constellation now, shouldn't he be something... different?

Before he could voice his concern, the voice responded, as if anticipating the question.

[Your body remains because it is what you need. Though you are no longer bound by mortal limitations, your consciousness still seeks familiarity, comfort. It is your subconscious that has decided this form is best suited to your needs.]

He furrowed his brow. "So, I'm still... human?"

[In a way, yes. Your soul is that of a Constellation, but your body is shaped by your mind's need for stability.]

"That's... strange. I don't feel... human, not anymore. But at the same time, I do." He shook his head in confusion. "It's like I'm in a dream, but I know I'm awake."

[The mind is a powerful thing, capable of shaping your reality. You are more than human now, but your mind still clings to what it knows.]

[It's hard to believe, isn't it? A person pulled from death, suddenly thrust into an entirely different world.]

"Hmm... Yeah, that's... that's putting it mildly."

The weight of his situation was starting to settle in. He remembered his death too clearly. He had no choice but to believe what he was being told.

[Warning: Disturbance Detected.]

Suddenly, the stars around him flickered and the air hummed with an eerie resonance.

"What's happening?" he asked, panic creeping into his voice.

The stars began to fade, and the sky twisted into a vortex of swirling colors, chaotic and alien.

Before he could react, the world around him dissolved into a deep darkness, and he was swept into a force he couldn't even comprehend.

In the next moment, he found himself in a place—how could he even describe it? A realm where colors shifted and swirled, a total chaos that defied comprehension.

"What is this place now?"

[...]

[This is the Abyssal Threshold…]

"Explain, please," he asked the voice.

[...]

[This is a very dangerous place, outside of reality.]

[Survival here is… difficult, even for Constellations. Proceed with caution—there are outer gods in this realm.]

"Outer gods?"

[Correct. Their influence in this realm is absolute.]

"Outer Gods...," he whispered.

He scanned his surroundings, searching for anything that could help him make sense of this place.

The void around him churned—an endless sea of shifting colors and shadows, mesmerizing yet disorienting.

The "ground" beneath him felt more like a mirage—no true solidity, just subtle resistance.

Then, a chill rippled down his spine. A presence. He didn't hear it, didn't see it approach, but he felt it.

Slowly, he turned.

And froze.

Just beyond his line of sight loomed something colossal, defying all reason. Its shape was maddeningly elusive, like trying to focus on something that refused to be seen.

What he could perceive was an amalgam of writhing darkness, tendrils of shadow extending into the abyss.

Where a face might be, there was only a void—a gaping, endless maw swallowing all light. From within, countless eyes emerged, glowing pale and unblinking, staring straight at him.

They blinked in eerie unison, a slow, deliberate motion that sent a shiver through him.

The entity's "arms" were impossibly long and thin.

Though it didn't move closer, its presence seemed to press in from all sides.

There was no sound, no wind—only the feeling of an existential crisis consuming him.

"Thou art not meant to be here."