Vlad sat cross-legged before the slab once again and turned his eyes to the second symbol. After a few seconds, the voice echoed in his mind.
Aera.
This time, the feeling was different from before. He felt himself being pulled out of his body, stripped of everything, yet he didn't feel any discomfort, pain, or fear. It was as if he was being turned into his original form.
He remained calm, allowing himself to be embraced by this newly found feeling.
The world around him changed. The sky was dark, filled with countless beautiful stars, illuminating the darkness in different colours. An endless sea stretched before him, completely still, reflecting the ethereal cosmos.
In this vast, still sea, a tree with golden wood stood just behind Vlad. It wasn't too tall. It was divided into numerous branches, each one dividing into further branches. A golden energy calmly moved through its roots in the sea, spreading into every branch like a heart pumping the blood to the body.
