Vahn's knees buckled as the visions continued, each one more vivid and more real than the last. He could feel the crushing weight of eternity pressing down on him, his mind struggling to process what had been laid bare before him.
Then, just as suddenly as it began, the torrent of knowledge stopped. Vahn gasped for air, his body trembling with exhaustion. His head was spinning, and the world around him seemed hazy, as if reality itself had been shifted.
The armored figure stood before him, his gaze softening slightly. "It is done."
Vahn swallowed, his voice barely a whisper. "What… what have I become?"
The figure's eyes darkened with something akin to pity. "You have seen the truth, and now you must live with it. Knowledge is not a gift, but a burden. It will change you, as it has changed many before you."
Vahn looked at the vial, now empty. His mind buzzed with the endless stream of information. It was more than he could ever process in a lifetime. He could feel his sense of self shifting, his understanding of the world expanding in ways he hadn't thought possible.
"How do I... how do I live with this?" Vahn asked, his voice shaky.
The figure's gaze softened, and he stepped closer. "You do not live with it. You learn from it. You grow."
The figure's presence began to fade, the shimmer of his armor growing faint. "Remember, young one," he said, his voice growing distant, "knowledge can destroy you, or it can guide you. It is your choice how you wield it."
And with that, the figure vanished, leaving Vahn alone in the store.