Chapter 7 - A Glimpse Of The Strata

The political machinations I'd witnessed in the Hall of Emissaries added another layer of complexity and danger to my existence at the Nexus. It wasn't enough to cultivate my strange resonance abilities in secret; I now had to navigate a minefield of ancient hatreds and hidden agendas. The knowledge of the Void Essence siphoning felt like a physical weight, a secret I desperately wished I didn't possess.My focus shifted subtly. While I continued practicing resonance manipulation, trying to gain finer control and deeper sensitivity, I also started paying closer attention to the theoretical aspects of reality manipulation mentioned in the more esoteric Academy texts. The concepts of different Strata – parallel or layered realities – seemed particularly relevant, given the sheer impossibility of this world. Could my resonance sensitivity be linked to these layers? Was the hum I felt the vibration of not just this reality, but the interplay between multiple Strata?The library became my refuge more than ever. I sought out texts on dimensional theory, multiverse conjecture, and the strange temporal anomalies occasionally reported near Astrum's Maw or around malfunctioning World Pillars. Much of it was highly theoretical, bordering on philosophical, dismissed by mainstream magical academia. Concepts like the Echoflux, where time was supposedly liquid, or Choraleon, where sound shaped matter, seemed like fanciful myths. Yet, the idea of a 'multiversal lattice,' with Prime, Echo, Voidbound, and even stranger Meta Strata, resonated with a disturbing familiarity, echoing the fragmented fictions of my past life.I found mentions of 'Voidrifts,' natural portals between Strata, often unstable and dangerous. There were also whispers of 'Nexus Keys,' artifacts supposedly capable of controlled Strata travel, though their existence was unconfirmed. The dangers were emphasized: encountering Echo Wraiths (versions of people who shouldn't exist, trapped in paradoxical timelines), stumbling into Voidbound Strata consumed by the Devourer, or getting lost in dimensions like the Silent Stratum where reality itself dissolved.This research felt abstract, disconnected from my daily struggles, until a practical session in Void Navigation forced the issue. Void Navigation was a mandatory course for all initiates, teaching the basics of piloting skyships and personal void-skimmers through the treacherous currents and gravitational anomalies near Astrum's Maw. Given the Nexus's location, it was a fundamental survival skill.Most training occurred in sophisticated simulators, holographic chambers that perfectly replicated the visual and energetic chaos of the Maw's edge. Today, however, our cohort was scheduled for a 'controlled field exercise' – a short trip in a reinforced training vessel to a relatively stable pocket dimension anchored just outside the Nexus's immediate reality distortion field. The goal was to experience minor spatial warping and practice navigation lock-ons in a 'live' environment.I felt a familiar unease boarding the vessel. My resonance sensitivity was always heightened near the Maw, the sheer gravitational and energetic forces creating a constant, complex symphony of vibrations that threatened to overwhelm me. I focused on maintaining a low profile, finding a seat near the back, trying to dampen my senses.The journey through the Nexus's departure gates was smooth, but as we passed the threshold into the 'Outer Veil,' the space between the Nexus and the raw void, the resonance shifted dramatically. The steady hum of the Academy faded, replaced by a discordant cacophony. It felt like stepping from a quiet room into a hurricane of conflicting frequencies.The instructor, a grizzled veteran pilot whose face was a roadmap of old void-burn scars, barked orders. "Initiates, observe the spatial distortion readings! Note the energy current vectors! Maintain your focus!"We were passing through a region known for minor temporal fluctuations, harmless ripples according to the lecture notes. But as the ship navigated a particularly turbulent current, the chaotic resonance spiked violently. For a heart-stopping moment, the ship seemed to stretch, the metal groaning under an impossible strain.And then, my perception fractured.It wasn't like the overwhelming flood of information near the Axis Mundi. This was different. Sharper. More visual. For an instant, the interior of the training vessel flickered. The other students, their faces etched with concentration or mild nausea, were replaced by different figures – older, battle-scarred warriors clad in unfamiliar armor, their expressions grim. The instructor was gone, replaced by a stern-faced woman with Nocturne sigils on her uniform. The view outside the main portal wasn't the swirling chaos of the Outer Veil, but a terrifying vista of a burning cityscape under a sky filled with falling stars.Luminora Prime… the Apocalypse…The vision lasted only a fraction of a second, an echo superimposed onto reality. Then, it snapped back. The students, the instructor, the familiar swirling void outside the portal – everything was as it should be. But the feeling lingered. A chilling sense of displacement, of having glimpsed a different thread in the tapestry of existence.I gasped, pressing my hands against my temples, trying to quell the sudden wave of vertigo. Had I imagined it? A stress-induced hallucination?"Varis! Eyes front!" the instructor barked, noticing my distress. "Void-sickness? Get a grip, initiate!"I mumbled an apology, forcing myself to focus on the navigation console, but my mind was reeling. That hadn't felt like imagination. It felt like… perception. A glimpse into another reality, another Stratum. An Echo Stratum, perhaps, where the Apocalypse on Luminora Prime was already in full swing? Or maybe a Voidbound Stratum, a dead reality consumed by that very cataclysm?The term 'Strata Perception' surfaced from my research. A latent ability, potentially linked to Pillar sensitivity. Was this it? Was I not just sensitive to the structure of this reality, but capable of perceiving others layered alongside it?The implications were terrifying. If I could see other Strata, could things from other Strata see or interact with me? Were the Echo Wraiths real? Could I accidentally slip into a Voidbound reality? The brief glimpse had been unsettling, but the potential dangers it hinted at were profound.As the training vessel completed its circuit and returned to the relative stability of the Nexus, the chaotic resonance subsided, replaced by the familiar hum. But the experience had changed me again. My sensitivity wasn't just passive awareness or minor manipulation; it was a window, potentially, into the infinite complexities of the multiversal lattice the texts described.This ability, this Strata Perception, was another dangerous secret to keep. It offered potential insight, a way to perhaps understand the threats facing Astrum Regalia on a deeper level, but it also opened doors to horrors I couldn't yet comprehend. The anomaly was becoming more anomalous, and the path ahead seemed increasingly fraught with peril, leading not just through the political minefields of the Nexus, but potentially through the very fabric of reality itself.