The rock I sent to a different layer slowly starts disappearing, or, at least, from what [Sense Space] is telling me so is its already tiny gravitational pull. I observe the rock for an hour, and in that time, the rock lost a quarter of its mass; however, according to the shadow the mana casts on the normal layer, it has not decreased but increased.

I teleport the rock and its mana back to closely examine the damage, and that is when, for a split second, I noticed some of the mana had taken forms I had never seen before.

Ting! Sense Magic has met requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 900!

45th Breakthrough: You have seen unstable mana; this will help you understand this elusive and alien mana.

My tails tich in excitement, and I can’t help but grin as I welcome this new turn of events.

Is this the case for all the layers? Or is it just for that particular layer? There’s only one way to find out!

I teleport several rocks to different layers, but because I can only observe one layer at a time with [Sense Space], and [Sense Magic] can only see the shadow of the mana, I have to observe them one at a time.

Every layer behaves differently and every one in unexpected ways. Sometimes matter will collapse into a singularity, others will slowly fade into nothing, and some slowly shift back to the normal layer – still deadly since it tears the rock apart. The laws which govern each layer is different, but the common thing is that matter can’t exist long term in them.

There are a few relatively safe layers I found, some where the degradation of matter is so slow that prolonged exposure is safe. Some strange ones, like the first I tested, allows for different stable mana that is unstable in the normal layer.

So far, I have found seventeen normally unstable mana, and I am starting to think there are theoretically an infinite number of them; but this is very early in this research, but I think I am starting to understand the true nature of mana.

So far, from what I have observed, mana seems to be something like the manifestation of logic and information of this realm or reality. The layers all run on a different logic which explains why the breakthrough for seeing into other layers stated that it will ‘help me understand the possibilities of space’. Some have gravitational forces so strong matter can’t reasonably exist, other have it so weak nothing larger than atoms can exist. Of course, this is all just one hypothesis to explain what I am seeing; I don’t know for sure if that is really the case.

No matter what I try, I can’t keep the mana stable in the normal layer to properly study them, and I am not entirely sure if it is safe to do so. What will happen if I try to bring a paradoxical logic into this layer? At least it’s only paradoxical to this layer.

That doesn’t mean I can’t study what happens if I bring that mana to other layers; at least then the normal layer won’t, or shouldn’t, be affected by anything disastrous.

The layers are a minefield, a dangerous place to go without already extensive knowledge on which ones are safe. The Phase Rovlat must have some sort of intuitive knowledge skill on which os is safe, a skill to protect it, or some other skill or skills which makes navigating and surviving the layers safely.

After spending a few days exploring the layers with probes… I mean rocks; I find that only one percent of the layers are moderately safe, ones that I can probably survive a few hours in. The very safe ones are one in one thousand, the ones that the rocks are still surviving in, and by the estimation of their decay, they range from days to months to yet to be determined.

Of the ones that have an effect on mana, void and essence seem to be the most stable; in fact, they are the most stable mana in most layers. It just makes sense; they all need that ‘logic’ in order to exist. The problem arises wherein not even those mana can exist for long; how those layers even exist, I don’t know, but they must run on some sort of logic so extreme or alien I can’t even comprehend them right now.

If I were to describe what spatial layers are, I would use the analogy of a blueprint. You have several papers; one might show where the frame of the house is supposed to be. The others are the plumbing and electricity. The normal layer shows the house, to rooms, where the doors are, and what everything is made of; but it doesn’t show things like the plumbing and wiring. A house doesn’t need those to be a house, whereas those layers need the house to mean anything, but they don’t have that. Line all those layers up, and you get the full picture, all of this realm.

So for the ‘blueprint’ that shows the ‘plumbing’, the lumber used for the framing of the house has no use; therefore, it has no reason to exist. This is why some things can or can’t exist in different layers. It’s not a perfect analogy, but it should suffice.

I finally decide that my skill is high enough level to get another shared breakthrough; in fact, I am a little over-leveled for it but, whatever, at least it will be much easier to get and level.

Ting! Sense Space has met requirements for a breakthrough and will continue leveling past level 80!

8th Breakthrough: You've learned how to sense space in two different locations; this will help you see more.

With my study into spatial layers extensive enough for eight levels, I move on to another subject of research, the dungeon entrance. The reason why I didn’t study it before spatial layers is because it seems like something much harder to study, and I need the levels to make it easier. However, now that [Sense Space] is level seventy-six, I hope it’s at least possible to study

I go to Temple Island and pass by several groups of priestesses in training, each of them working on a dedication to Myrou. It seems to be something the priestess elders are encouraging a lot since I never noticed the priestess’ doing that before Papuyo attempted takeover.

I arrive at the dungeon entrance and closely observe it. It seems like the space ends, like a hole in the fabric of space. I cross the entrance and look at it from the other end, which shows the same end of space phenomenon.

This should be another breakthrough, but since I’m not getting it, that means I am not seeing something fundamental what is it I am missing? No matter how long I look, I can’t figure it out; I don’t even know where to start! It’s just a hole in space!

I take a deep breath to release my frustrations and still my aggravated tail movements. Clearly, I need another breakthrough to get this one. Instead of bashing my head against something, hoping to learn something, I set this subject aside and move on to my next task.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

Uloru sits cross-legged, meditating.

“Focus on your life, Uloru,” Kadona says, teaching her student. “There’s more to one's life essence than vitality. Vitality is the glue that keeps our soul to our body, but it is not what defines life.”

Uloru breaths in deeply, then out slowly, focusing on her life essence; not the mana, but the fundamental… energy, for lack of better words, called life.

Her master has recently made a new breakthrough in [Sense Life], an important breakthrough that reveals a new aspect of life.

“There are four parts to what we call ‘life’” Kadona continues. “The body, the life in the material. Vitality, Life in mana. Soul, Life in identity. And Anima, life in concept. Without these four, we can’t live, at least as far as I am aware.”

“Isn’t identity and concept the same thing?” Uloru asks.

“No,” Kadona shakes her head, her long brown hair swaying. “The soul is the identity of you anima is the concept of life itself. Anima is needed to bring the concept of life to the soul, to your mana, and to your body.”

Uloru nods and goes back to meditation, armed with more knowledge to get the breakthrough.

This has been part of her training for a few days, and she feels like she is close to getting it. She needs to feel her own life, her own Anima.

First, she focuses on her own bodily life, the first breakthrough. Her pumping heart, the blood running through her veins. Material life does so much. It allows her to see and hear and generally interact with the world; without it, how would she know she was alive? How would she know others were? How would she do things? It brings meaning and purpose to life.

Once she has fully grasped her own material life, she focuses on her vitality. This is what animates her, it keeps her alive when her body is broken; it ties her identity to her body so she can experience life.

Her soul, or, rather, the life in her soul, is a lot harder to pin down, as it’s another recent breakthrough, but from what she can feel, it’s unique to everyone. The longer one has lived, the more they have experienced in life, the more it grows. It’s almost like the breadth of experience one has but somehow, more than that; it’s hard for her to explain.

After grasping her soul life, Uloru concentrates on the very concept of life itself, feeling for it. A faint pressure pushes back against her perception, barely noticeable. Seizing this chance, Uloru focuses her full attention on the pressure, mentally grasping at it, feeling what it is.

Several chimes ring her mind as a new color of life fills her perception, glowing brightly and vibrantly.

“I got it!” Uloru shouts, celebrating her successful breakthrough.

“I knew you would,” Kadona says with a proud smile that only a master could have for their protege.

Uloru examines her surroundings seeing all the life around her in new ways. Everything is brimming with anima; it fills the soul and body, bearly contained.

“Let's go back home and celebrate; it’s been so long since we’ve been back in the Nexus,” Kadona says, leading the way out of their home in the dungeon and toward the dungeon entrance.

However, Kadona stops Uloru as they go around a corner of a building. It quickly becomes obvious why. Alysara is standing near the dungeon entrance, observing it. Her long beautiful and lustrous hair blowing in the breeze, her tails dancing around gracefully but… somehow irritated?

It is the real Alysara, not a clone, the presence of her Bond caressing her like a gentle blanket but tugging on her attention like it wants her to admire the perfect specimen of beauty that is Alysara.

Uloru quickly snaps out of it, however, when she finally comprehends what she is seeing with her [Sense Life]. Her vitality and body is normal and perfectly healthy; however, the life in her soul is so vast she feels completely lost in the infinite expanse of her soul’s life.

Where’s her anima?

Uloru can’t see it, is it so overshadowed by her soul? No, that can’t be the case; she can still see her vitality and body life. Why can’t she see her anima? Does she not have anima? She has to have it, right?

That is when she notices it, a faint trail of color that represents anima swirling inside her, so faint she almost didn’t notice it.

Why is her anima so low?