Lucien woke to crisp clarity.
For a breath, he lay still, surprised that he'd slept at all. Sleep was an old custom he had long outgrown after shedding his mortal husk yet his body had seized it naturally.
The message was plain. Even transcendence had thresholds. Overdraw the spirit... and the vessel will collect its debt.
He sat up, rolled his shoulders once and let the silence settle.
"How long was I asleep?" he murmured.
He sighed, thinking about what had happened earlier and a satisfied grin tugged at his lips. Only when his thoughts were properly ordered did he close his eyes and will the shift.
"Time to see our gains."
He vanished from the room. In his place, a golden sphere rose and hovered where he had been.
•••
He stepped into his inner world and the horizon of his domain greeted him like a held breath released.
Lucien blinked, now standing on a ridge overlooking his growing ecosystem. He lifted a hand and space itself parted.
"Let's begin."
