At that moment, cracks appeared in my vision. Like a mirror, they divided reality into several parts.
Crack—!
The cracks spread further and further.
The world around me began to lose balance. And though belatedly, I only now realized that red liquid had been dripping from my eyes all this time.
After returning from the glimpse of memories and gaining a basic understanding of the Imaginer Path, I felt as if my eyes were about to explode at any moment.
It was as if something was squeezing them to the point where the pain made my entire body go weak.
Losing control of my body, I fell to my knees.
At the same time, the bone mask on my face slipped off, once again hanging around my neck.
My eyes burned, but I endured it.
The world around me changed in an instant.
The night sky, the cold and eerie atmosphere returned. My knees pressed against the grass as I knelt before the ruined gate, clutching both of my eyes.
Even after a while, the pain did not subside.
But I forced myself to keep my eyes open.
My vision was somewhat limited—I felt a red ring covering the edges of my sight. I could only see through my focal point.
My gaze stopped at the hooded man, Heimdall, who stood holding an orange lantern.
His figure was so grim, yet I no longer felt alone.
I struggled to my feet, wiping the red liquid from my face, using the stone pillar in front of me as support to stand up more easily.
In the process, I brushed my hand along the stone pillar.
I turned toward Heimdall again and smiled.
Heimdall stepped back a few paces, extending his hand that held the lantern, letting its light illuminate both me and the stone pillar.
The Miracle Temple was built by injecting knowledge into its structure…
I remembered this.
Just like channeling spirits into a medium, the process was quite similar, except this was more complex because knowledge came in many different forms.
The way I did it was by transmitting memories and recollections about the Imaginer Path in my mind, along with conclusions based on my observations of this path.
I could feel the flow of knowledge coursing through my thoughts. As if carried by the spirit within my body, following the flow of my blood, and exiting through my fingertips.
I felt the energy within me depleting rapidly, but I did not stop the process.
My mind was in turmoil, knowledge duplicating itself to the point where it was difficult to retain one piece of information while ignoring the redundant ones...
Everything merged, making my brain feel like it was about to explode.
Amidst my surging thoughts, my drained spirit and energy, my body losing control, I felt warmth spreading before me.
The stone pillar I was touching shone brightly, so intensely that the hooded Heimdall almost seemed translucent.
Within seconds, the carvings on the stone became vividly beautiful, and what was once just two separate stone pillars now transformed into a complete gate.
Its edges were made of solid, white-painted stone, with mysterious blue symbols etched along its curves, following the frame of the gate.
At the center, a steel door projected from nothingness—two sturdy and solid doors, slightly ajar.
Hah…
I stepped back, losing my balance, and fell backward.
I looked up, truly in awe of the miracle before me.
Even though I had experienced many kinds of miracles—including the manifestation of the "Author" power—and despite having already seen this gate while wearing the mask, for some reason, this time, the sense of wonder felt different…
I did it!
I successfully built the gate!
My heart wanted to scream—not just out of satisfaction that my plan and desire had been achieved, even if it was only the beginning—but because, for some reason, I felt as if my soul had returned to being a child.
Enjoying a success that was rare for me.
Compared to when I fully integrated a plot, which only filled my heart with relief and fulfillment…
This time, for some reason, I felt happiness…
Facing this situation, many thoughts crossed my mind.
"Happiness is part of imagination."
Then my mind went blank…
A hoarse voice emerged beside me as my consciousness began to fade.
"Congratulations on your first step. Now, you have the right to use the power of the Miracle Temple…"
…
I woke up.
My eyes landed on the ceiling of the room—dusty and dark. The scent of ash and soil entered my nose, pulling my thoughts back together.
I am conscious in my shadow body.
"Huff..."
I let out a breath, trying to shake off the strange sensation carried over from my awareness in the Miracle Temple. Part of it was self-satisfaction; the rest was pain and helplessness.
At that moment, I thought—what had I gained after building the Miracle Temple gate?
The last words I heard from Heimdall were that I could use the power of the Miracle Temple…
But what kind of power was he referring to?
As I pondered, a floating book beside me caught my attention.
"Author's Book..."
I murmured.
I noticed something different about the book—something that deviated from its usual appearance.
The book had a faint black aura, its cover adorned with black and red motifs. The pages were slightly yellowed, textured rough and dry, befitting its function as a medium for liquid ink.
"Why do I feel something different? What is it?"
What I saw was the same book as before, yet something had changed. I tried to investigate further, but at a glance, nothing seemed out of place.
Frowning in confusion, I reached for the book.
It felt cold—that much was normal.
I flipped open the cover.
My pupils widened.
[Author's Book]
[Integration 1: Active]
[Integration 2: No story added yet]
+•—•+
[Innate Abilities of the Miracle Temple]
[Essence Weaver]
[Fairy Tale Manifestation: 38%]
[Abstract Painting: 20%]
[Night Ruler: 2%]
+•—•+
Words engraved in red ink filled the very first page.
I read line by line, my mind overwhelmed by astonishment.
How could I not be? This kind of opening inscription had never appeared before.
This was the first time I had seen it.
"Innate abilities of the Miracle Temple…"
Heimdall's voice suddenly echoed in my mind—so clearly that I heard it as if it were a real scene unfolding before me.
"Congratulations on your first step. Now, you have the right to use the power of the Miracle Temple."
This was the reward for the initial stage of building the Miracle Temple gate—an innate ability?
I tried to comprehend it—not just the fact that I had truly obtained something from the Miracle Temple, but the nature of these new abilities themselves.
"Essence Weaver..."
Just from the name alone, I could imagine that this ability allowed me to extract the essence of other mystical powers. To validate this, two out of the three mystical powers listed were ones I recognized.
"Fairy Tale Manifestation…"
I recalled how my father used to demonstrate the wonders of the Imaginer Path—not through stories but through tangible manifestations…
I still remembered how, when Eloise was not around or had other matters to attend to, my father would take the time to visit me and use his ability, "Fairy Tale Manifestation."
I remembered how those little creatures kept me from feeling lonely.
"That was my father's mystical power..."
There was no need for further validation. I was certain of it.
Adding to this was the fact that the second mystical power, "Abstract Painting," made everything click in my mind.
My older sister also loved showing off her power in front of me—not to make me envious or upset, but to encourage me and help me see the positives in my situation.
"Abstract Painting" was my sister, Eloise Fiore Hume's ability—she could create paintings she could control, a manifestation of creativity from imagination.
Though on the other hand, I didn't yet understand what the percentages represented.
Were they levels of proficiency or something else?
There was only one way to find out—by testing them myself.