Floating silently in the endless cosmos, Endri drifted without motion, his unfocused gaze fixed on the boundless sea of blue stars before him.
It had been a week since the mysterious guide had given him his task. Over those long days, his initial enthusiasm had slowly eroded into irritation. Just thinking about his circumstances made his fists tighten.
"A knowledgeable guide, yeah sure—more like a scam book," he thought bitterly, relaxing his hand a moment later.
This wasn't the first time frustration had gotten the better of him. For the past two days, he'd been caught in this cycle—irritation, exhaustion, then resignation.
"Leaving me in silence after telling me to 'sense my divinity,' and giving only cryptic advice… definitely the act of a scam book."
With a deep sigh, he released his pent-up irritation, forcing himself to calm down.
His situation was far from pleasant. Ever since receiving his "task," the so-called guide had gone completely silent, leaving him to float endlessly through the cosmos. Each time he tried to ask a question or call for guidance, the only reply he received was a blank, yellowed page.
The book only responded when he asked specifically about achieving the "first step into Godhood." But every time, the answer was the same—no matter how he phrased his question:
"Try to imagine something that does not exist in the world."
The simplicity of the words was what made them maddening. The phrase was easy to understand yet impossibly vague in meaning.
He had tried to imagine all sorts of things.
An elephant with a tiger's body, a snake's tongue, and a firefly's eyes. A color that no one had ever seen before. A sound that could not be heard. None of them worked.
With every failed attempt, his irritation grew. And the endless floating, devoid of sleep, food, or drink, slowly chipped away at his sanity.
Only two things kept him from slipping completely into madness—his longing to return to his loved ones, and the resilience he had built from years of chronic illness. He was no stranger to confinement, to endless stillness and waiting.
By the fifth day, he had grown tired of forcing his imagination and instead let his thoughts wander. At first, he thought of his circumstances—the cosmos, the silence, and the deceitful book—but his mind inevitably drifted back to his loved ones.
Their laughter. Their voices. Their warmth.
"I wish I could be with them again—talking, joking, laughing like we used to…"
Memories rose and wrapped around him like gentle waves. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to be carried by them, reliving each cherished moment. When those memories ended, he began to imagine new ones—scenes that had never happened but that he longed for. A life where he was healthy, strong, and free to share in all the things he'd missed.
Unknowingly, Endri was imagining something that truly did not exist—a past that had never been and could never be.
And from within that longing, a foreign yet familiar sensation emerged—cold yet warm, radiant yet shadowed, solid yet vaporous. Existence and nonexistence intertwined.
Startled by the otherworldly feeling, Endri snapped back to awareness. Dizzy and disoriented, he opened his eyes and scanned his body in confusion.
"What is this weird feeling? It's like… a thin cloth is wrapping around me."
He waved his arms, trying to see the invisible presence, but found nothing. No matter how he looked, the source of the sensation eluded him.
Perplexed, he turned, searching for the untrustworthy guide.
"I hope that scammy book actually answers me this time."
The moment his gaze shifted, the tome appeared before him, floating inches from his face. The medium-sized book, bound in worn purplish leather, was closed—but from between its pages, a sliver of silver light escaped.
Then, with a low hum, the book trembled violently. Its covers burst open, unleashing a wave of brilliant silver light that enveloped Endri.
Within that radiant glow, the elegant script appeared once more—this time, a single word gleaming across the page:
"Congratulations."