“A battle?” I asked. “I don’t think I’d be much good at that. I was always the artistic type. My sister was the sporty one…” Besides, after that oime…

  You Refuse. Your Fate And That Of Your World’s Would Then Be In The Hands Of Others. Your Potential Is Suffit To Participate. For Those Who Triumph, Rewards Are Maher Is The Power Over All Things. With Ether All Wishes Be Granted.

  All wishes? Everyone has wishes, and I was no exception. It isn’t like it didn’t sting a bit when my sister ughs at the fact I’ve never really had a girlfriend. It isn’t like I’m bad with women… after all, I got on really well with Eri-, even if she was younger, and at school and uy I was hardly a loner. At the st css reunion I spent quite a while talking to some of the girls from my css without a problem…. Oh man, my thoughts are rag. Having a girlfriend isn’t the only thing on my mind. Who wouldn’t like a det job, a nice car, big house, lots of money and so on…?

  “I suppose there is great risk involved though?”

  All Life Caries Risk. Should Your Astral Form Be Destroyed Your Physical Form Shall Perish Also. But Death es Suddenly In All Worlds. Step Outside Your Door And You May Die Any Day. Or Your Body Could Fail From Illness Or Misce. Such Is The Way Of Things.

  “Well, I ’t really argue with that. The degree of risk might be wildly different though.” To be ho I still couldn’t believe I was having such a versation with a hollow-voiced glowing figure. Still, if I was dreaming this then it didn’t really matter, did it? Besides, who wouldn’t want such excitement in their lives? “I'm not sure, but... the rewards seem like they would be something special if I succeed, right?”

  As I Have Stated, Rewards Are Plentiful For Those Who Succeed. Not Only Will You Save Your World But Powers Beyond Your Imagination Be Yours. I Sense Your Reluce Though. This World Is But Freshly Opeo The Wider Pnes. I Have Been Allowed To Show You A Brief Glimpse. You Must Then Decide.

  “And how safe is this ‘glimpse’?” It was tempting, but as I thought earlier, I wasn’t much of a fighter. My sister does traditional Japanese archery, Kyūdō, as well as pys on her school volleyball team, so she got all the talent in our family. Father used to do kendo ba his school days and even won a couple of local tours, apparently, but me… I take after my mom I’m afraid, and the most eic thing she ever did was a local fun-run. “I’d be ied if you could guarantee my safety? Seeing it might make me more ied.”

  I Offer No Guarantees For There Be None In Life. However If You Do Nothing Truly Reckless I Return You To Your Material Body Before You Suffer Great Harm. Of Course, I Am Allowed To Do This But Once.

  That sounded fine. I wasn’t particurly reckless. In games I was always oo grind up and over-level myself so as to crush challengers. I wasn’t oo get in over my head. Although my sister would probably say taking the safe route is why I’m stuck doing freence work in a tiny apartment without a girlfriend… man, just thinking that irritates me. “Sure, why not? I’ll take ylimpse si seems there is little to lose.”

  Very Well. A Wise Choice, For One Who Never Gambles ever Exceed His Limits. There Will Be Brief Pain As I Draw Out Your Latent Gifts And Activate Your Cord, And Then…

  “Hey wait a sed…” I interrupted. “Pain? I’m not really good with…”

  … You Shall See The Boundary With Your Own Eyes.”

  It talked right over me! I was about to say more when suddenly I doubled over, tears streaming from my eyes as a burning pain formed between my legs. It was like someone had simultaneously rammed a hot poker into my guts while also kig me in the groin. It was far from pleasant. As I crouched down, tears p down my cheeks, I let out a ragged breath. The pain spread, my heart and brain started to boil, bining the worst of a severe migraine a failure in a series of blinding waves. I tried to throw up, gagging reflexively, but just as I reached my limit the pain began to fade, luckily, as I wasn’t sure how much more I could take. Blinking tears from my eyes I looked up acgly at the shining figure.

  “That hurt! Why did…” I paused. The figure had stopped glowing, and I could now see more clearly. The figure was covered by a shapeless bck robe, long sleeves hiding their arms, and a hood shrouding their face so nothing could be seen, except for a fairands of what looked like hair, creeping out from uhe cowl. The figure was humanoid in appearance, but other than that, ails could be guessed at. Still, if they have hair and two arms and two legs, they are probably not too dissimir to me… damn, now I’m super curious.

  “Hey, ylow has go… and in fact, the lighting here is weird…” Now that I looked around more, something that had been b me a little since I looked up was clear. The light was… strahe glow from the streetmp outside had faded, as had the light from my puter s. In fact the puter had vanished entirely, the only thing in my room was the futon rolled in the er. In its pce was an ambiehat… well, it made no seo me. The sky was lit, and I could see in the dark, but there was no actual light source, like a sun or a moon. The air seemed to… shimmer... was the only way I could describe it… with a pale silvery glow, occasional ripples of dark colour appearing, then just as suddenly vanishing.

  “If this is a dream, then I’m not sure where this has e from. It isn’t like my usual o all…” As I spoke, the sound came out muted, as if the very air around me was deadening the noise. In fact I could hear very little at all, the normal ever-present drone of the Tokyo suburbs absent. It was a little discerting.

  “This is no dream, but it is often called the world of dreams.” The cloaked figure spoke, and this time the voice was more normal, if strangely androgynous. “In fact, the pain you felt was enough to render you unscious. Look down at your feet.”

  Look down? I did so out of curiosity a out a gasp of wonder. From between my legs, where the pain was fring before, I could see a thin white cord, about as thick as my little finger, which stretched out into space about a metre in front of me before it faded away to nothingness. It ale and somewhat translut, but I could clearly see it, though when I looked away it vanished from view.

  “That Cord ects to this world and your real body. It is currently weak, but should you stre, it will shine silver like a mirror. It takes ether from the surroundings, and refi into aether, which is a power you use. The more ether, and thus aether you and, the greater your strength, both here and ierial world that was your cradle until now. And with aether…”

  The cloaked figure raised one arm, and from the voluminous sleeve that hid its hand there came a silvery glow, and suddenly the room was filled with dang, sparkling motes of multi-coloured lights.

  Wow, those are so beautiful. It reminds me of st year when I went to Roman-no Mori Kyowakokuin Chiba with some other freencers on a big project for a software pany and watched the fireflies dao the night. But this is far more stunning…

  “What creates reality here is aether, which is just ether you have refiherefore, you o gather as much ether as possible, and do this by expanding your read defeating those who would take your ether. Battle is iable, for now that your world has been ected to the higher tides once again it will be coveted by many, especially those who would despoil it, so you have been io defend it.”

  “You certainly seem more talkative here.” I couldn’t help but smile. The view was so dream-like that I was finding it hard to maintaiension I had before. Still, why me? Everyone dreams of being special, but I know I’m not…

  “You should pay attention.” The cloaked being scolded in its ral voice. “I am very limited in what information I provide. Knowledge is power, after all, and power bears responsibility aris. Now, it is time to activate your aether version. Focus on the area your Cord ects to and try ahe energy moving through you.”

  Not that it makes much sense. Surely if they are trying to save the Earth, telling me as much as possible is surely the wisest pn? Though they did mentioris, there must be some I don't know about. Anyway, I ’t force them to talk, so to the matter at hand…

  “Feel it? How?” I asked, puzzled.

  “It is different for every being. Once you have started the flow your Cord will start to automatically draw iher and vert it to aether tthen you, as well as to be stored to use as you see fit. You o trate, and it will e.”

  “All right then.” Not that I get it, but either this is a dream and it doesn’t matter, or this is real ay is something wildly different to what I thought it was anyway…

  Closing my eyes, I tried to feel the energy moving around my lower body. Time passed, and nothing was happening. I opened one eye, to see that nothing had ged around me. “Any hints you give me?” I asked, trying a small smile.

  “You must try harder. Feel the flow. O begins it should bee easier.”

  That wasn’t particurly helpful advice. Still, here goes nothing. Shutting my eyes, I trated and strained for what seemed like hours. It was then that I felt a little twinge spreading from my lower body to my heart and head, as though the pain I remembered was returning. Reflexively I flinched bad the feeling was gone.

  “There rogress. For a moment you were almost there. If you do not succeed in this manner, your performance will suffer in future.”

  “In this manner?” I asked. “So there is another way?”

  “If it bees a y, I forcibly open your flow, but that way will cause yrowth potential to be stunted. It is much better to allow your own talents to blossom rather than making irreversible ges to your subtle bodies, especially in your case now. That would increase the dao you over time, and I uand you are very averse to such risks.”

  “Well, you aren’t wrong. I’d like to take the safer, better path, even if it's harder to start with. But we’ve been at this for hours. If I don’t get it soon won’t this glimpse be over?”

  “Time flows differently in the Boundary world. Sometimes slower, but usually faster. There is still time for you to succeed. However, the amount of aether you have is not unlimited. All intelligent life accumutes it over time, and you are currently depleting it. If you do not succeed before it runs out you will awaken ba the Material and your ce will be gone. If that looks like it will happen I will have to use the surer, yet weaker way.”

  Yes, definitely more talkative. Whoever they are, they like exposition a lot. Still, I guess that’s to my be as well. Oh well, here we go, adventure awaits if I grasp this… no hero would take the easy way that limits their growth before they even do anything. Besides, if I did and came up against enemies who took the harder, yet better way…

  Dredging up all my willpower, I thought hard. Visualise. Visualise. I do it all the time when I’m programming or doing art for various projects. See the image I want, the… it shouldn’t be impossible!

  I trated fain what seemed like hradually f a sharper image of what I wanted. As I did so the sense of disfort returned around my groin, growing stronger. It wasly pain though, uhe first time. trating harder I formed the image of a silver whirlpool in my mind, drawing ihing around it towards my fragile, ransparent white cord.

  I think… I’m getting it. The sensation was growing stronger, warmth spreading up into my stomad upper chest. The sensation of pressure was growing, and the warmth reached my throat and spread through my head, until my whole body was tingling. Nearly… there…

  With o surge I focused all of my efforts on the growing pressure spreading through my body, the sensation rising until I felt something give inside me. It was like a dam bursting, and the warmth felt like a tide of fire invading my body, hot yet fortable. My eyes snapped open reflexively and I gasped i the sight. The multi-coloured lights that my guide had jured were rushing towards me and being sucked into my body through the white cord, which was again visible and now giving off a faint silvery glow.

  “As I expected, you have succeeded.” The figure said, and I wasn’t sure whether I was imagining it or not, but I felt I could hear a small note of satisfa, and also relief, within its voice. “With such deher scattered around, it is much easier to draw it in. Do not grow overfident and expect such results when you go forth on your own.”

  I see, so those lights are made from ether. I guess it makes sense for it to provide more for me to absorb than relying on what is here in nature, since I’m still learning…

  As I pohat, the remaining lights were sucked into my body, and I was tingling from head to toe with a fiery wave of energy. I felt great. “So, what ? Am I ready for this glimpse now?” It was very hard not to get excited about this. After all, if all of this was not a dream then I had just taken my first step to mystical powers. There isn't a man alive who doesn't dream of such things, and I'm no exception to that...