Three eyes each pulsing with interminable authority shone with a sharp light. None could be hidden from their gazes as they took in every single detail about the world around them. There were many things present that were not there before. Particles of power that should have remained invisible to the naked eye flowed smoothly in Galeon's vision.
He turned his gaze toward the heaven-reaching mountain in the distance and there he saw something he could never have imagined. A towering pillar of light shot out from the ground, piercing through the skies of Corrin and reaching deep into the space beyond. It was such a heavy authority that only now could he feel, as though witnessing it was the key to understanding the very weight of its presence.
But before Galeon could free himself from the pressure, his gaze seemed to have been drawn into that pillar of light, sinking into it and letting it carry him across untold distances. The sheer power it bore down upon him forced his eyes close for a moment, and when he opened them again, everything before him was different.
What lay before him was no longer the cracked lands and the chaotic city. He no longer saw the towering mountain that had already grasped the stars in the depths of space. Before him was space itself, the universe in all its bare beauty. In the distance, he could see entire galaxies swirling and revolving around each other, stars aligning and forming constellations that could only be observed some millions of years in the future, planets thriving with life and others dying. This was the true nature of the universe. This was...
[Beautiful, isn't it?]
A voice carried along by a strangely whimsical authority rang out in the void. Galeon looked around and found an eye. No, it was not the same unfathomable eye-like entity that he had encountered once before. This was a literal eye glowing with a subtle brilliance that told of the vicissitudes of life. The voice itself was like that of an old man caught up in his musings. But the eye was just like any normal eye, white sclera and brown iris. It seemed so simple that it was so eerie thinking about how it could possibly exist in this place, much less speak. And then, it turned to look at him.
[This is the first time that I've ever met someone else while watching from here. How did you get here, my young friend?]
The voice of the eye spoke warmly and in a friendly tone as though he was really pleasantly surprised to see someone else here besides himself. Galeon wanted to say that he did not know. He wanted to speak and learn more about what was happening to him, but he could not. No voice came from him even as he tried to open his mouth....
And that was the start of his confusion. Did he even have a mouth? He could not feel it. He could not feel the rest of his body for that matter. He could see and hear, but he could not move. If he could somehow detach his sight from himself and observe himself personally, then he would know that he was, in fact, similar to the being talking to him at the moment. But rather than just one eye, he had three, all connected at a central point, floating in the emptiness of space. Noticing his shock the old man corrected himself with a lighthearted chuckle.
[Ohoho! It seems you've only just begun learning how to peer into this place, hmm? Then it's natural to be disoriented. In fact, you're handling it rather well. During my first time, I was screaming and crying from panic that when I returned to my body, I found that I've soiled myself! How I wish I could forget that shameful moment, but alas.]
The old man sighed while Galeon only observed him. This being is definitely the most powerful being he had seen after that unfathomable eye from before. He did not know whether it was just a coincidence, but both took the forms of an eye. In any case, judging by the old man's words, it seemed that he was only temporarily separated from his body.
He did not know how he ended up here, but he was certain that it was less about the pillar of authority rising from the heaven-reaching mountain and more about the authority of his Eyes of Clarity. The Shaper of Self defined it, but he had not received any explanations for it. Although he already expected it due to the Vernal Bloom not offering any explanations for qualities of his traits either, he did not like that his own personal authority was following the same trend. Therefore, he resolved to change this when he returned to his body.
[Oh, where are my manners! My name is Benjamin. I'm a free man who doesn't involve himself in any of the squabbles down there.]
His gaze pointed toward the universe that they were observing. Galeon could not really see anything apart from the galaxies and stars, but Benjamin's eye flashed and the sight before them zoomed in to a region of space where a war on a planetary scale was being fought. There were warships and individual people moving through space, racing to take down the opposition. It was a brutal sight, but also incredibly surreal.
Galeon had always believed that there was life outside of Corrin. How else could the Prisma be explained? Them crashing into Corrin could not have been by some freak natural occurrence. He would sooner believe that hell was a paradise of ice than think of the Meteor Rain as some natural calamity. And here, he was being shown a shred of the truth.
[I pity these fools. There is no saving them from war. War is a necessity in this place. I am freed from it, but only because my talents would serve better if I'm alive.]
Galeon turned to look at Benjamin once more as he sensed the gravity in his words. He was not merely showing him things. This old man was teaching him something. He had to listen and learn as it may be the only chance he gets. Benjamin's eye turned to him as well as his authority flared all around them, seemingly isolating them from the universe. His gaze was now sombre as he let his intent be known to Galeon that they were no longer merely chatting.
[I am regarded as the Watcher of the @{7)&^!#. I have been here outside the Loom to watch and record all that transpire. But I also have another duty. I am the Watcher who warns others of the coming enemy. No one has ever reached this place without my knowledge, and the fact that you are here now means that the moment I have been waiting for has come.]
Galeon's mind trembled upon hearing Benjamin's words. He did not care much for his duties as his mind focused on one thing, his distinction. He was the Watcher... of something that he could not hear. He knew and recognised what it was simply because of the weight of its name, but his mind was still incapable of truly grasping it. This was the same unfathomable eye-like entity that he had encountered before. And Benjamin seemed connected it more than he initially thought.
Another burst of authority erupted from Benjamin as his gaze turned menacing. His brown iris shattered like glass, each shard revolving around his pupil like a kaleidoscope tinted in many different colours. It was a maddenning experience, but for Galeon who had already glimpsed upon a far more unfathomable being, Benjamin did not move him much.
[Good, you are able to handle this authority. Unfortunately, being here without the appropriate authority to hide oneself invites disaster, my young friend. They are onto us now, but fear not. I have isolated us for a brief moment, enough for me to say what I need to.]
A loud sound like that of an erupting volcano echoed out from a distance away. It came from a wall of authority created by Benjamin to isolate them in this place. But it seems that whatever he was keeping out was very powerful as Galeon could tell that it would not take long for the walls to be breached. Benjamin, however, did not seem panicked at all as he calmly spoke to Galeon.
[I do not know from which Thread you come, but know that the Loom will not remain safe forever. If you are here, then that means you have already begun your Trial. You must ascend quickly. Not just for yourself, but for all of us.]
Another explosion rang out. This time, the impact was so much stronger that it shook the very space Galeon and Benjamin were in. The walls trembled at the damage it had to endure, but it still held fast. Galeon's mind was the clearest it has ever been as he soaked in every single word that Benjamin spoke. He did not know what was happening nor did he know who the enemy was, but he knew that it would only be a matter of time before he was faced with it personally.
[Now go, return to your body and complete your Trial. Try not to use your eyes before you've ascended or you might not be as lucky as this time. I shall be waiting for you here, like always.]
One last burst of authority shot out of Benjamin's eye, pushing Galeon back into the folds of space. But before he could completely sink into it, he saw the walls around Benjamin finally shatter and he finally caught a glimpse of what was threatening them.
A glimpse... because he could not confidently say that he had truly seen it. It was an indescribable creature that could not even fit the mould of what a creature should look like in Galeon's mind. What was it really? It was so disjointed and simply illogical to be real that his mind found it difficult to reconcile. The harrowing visage he saw, he did not even know how to begin describing it other than black. It dripped with a dark ichor that looked like ink.
Galeon's mind was shaken. He could not imagine facing such a thing. His gaze turned to Benjamin, but even until the end, the old man only looked at Galeon.
Darkness overtook Galeon's vision before soon clearing as his eyes opened. Before him was the same chaos he had left, the same towering mountain that loomed dreadfully over them all. He was back.