A Single Strand of Hair

Al existed in a timeless limbo, detached from the passage of time. He endured intense scrutiny and was subjected to relentless operations that made him conclude – they were harvesting his organs. His twisted blade, the etheric shell for Midnight Abyss, had its own cruel experiments to endure.

He was strapped by metal cuffs unable to move a muscle, a bright light constantly shining over him. Insanity would have long overtaken him however he had learned become acquainted with existing his body. In this other realm physical reality moved much faster or maybe the realm moved much slower. 

When he had first reached this state, he was only able to stare at his body in the operating table. As time flowed on, he was able to shift his focus to things around the room he was in.

In due time, Al discovered that he had somehow manifested limbs and astral form within this strange, gray-hued realm. This development was marked by a growing awareness of his surroundings.

He began to walk around and explore the Rakh-ahtan laboratory that held him captive. One bizarre observation stood out - every Rakh-ahtan warrior was infested with peculiar, worm-like creatures. These repulsive worms wriggled and burrowed through the towering, 14-foot warriors as if they were living trees. They only existed in the astral form and had no physical body like Al.

Al attempted to interact with them, but his efforts were in vain; the worms remained impervious to his presence, continuing their unsettling activity undisturbed.

A few rooms away his suspicions were verified his organs were being harvested. Their destination provided Al with a chilling insight. The thick glass dome revealed a vast, dark expanse of space beyond, confirming his suspicion that he was somewhere far removed from Earth. 

He watched as his harvested organs were meticulously arranged on a small vessel, a Rak-ahtan overseeing the macabre process. The ship shot upward, propelled by an eerie absence of flames or sparks, disappearing into the cosmic void.

Midnight abyss was being held only a few feet away from him it had to be since it was chained to his etheric shell. 

As time unfurled, Al's perception deepened, and he became intimately acquainted with every hidden corner and secret passageway of the sprawling space station.

Within the space of this gray astral realm, he found himself in, thoughts manifested as vivid, intricate images. Each one held a cascade of words, a symphony of arguments woven into every frame. Al was like a brazen intruder in an art museum of unparalleled complexity stealing as many images as he could.

Returning to his corporeal form, pain surged through his consciousness, but he had grown immune to its sting. He meticulously unraveled the images, breaking them down into words, dissecting their meanings and hidden dialogues.

Yet, one enigma persisted, an image born from "1, 5, 7." the teachings of Benjamin, a transient mentor in Al's time in the Churches prison. It depicted a woman, draped in a gown as pure as snow, a crystal crown atop her head, refracting sunlight into a resplendent halo of colors. No matter how he delved into its depths, its true significance remained elusive, slipping through his grasp like quicksilver.

So, he focused on only the words Benjamin spoke of the 1. He very clearly told Al "The 1 is always 3." From those words an image of a triangle with a circle was born in the gray astral realm. 

This image Al felt he fully understood "Physical Domain, Mental Domain, and Spirit Domain. Or simply Body, Mind, and Spirit, or Jing, Shen, and Qi. These 3 make up the existence of a human, this is 1."

As Al immersed himself in pilfering the ethereal canvases of the gray realm, the Rakh-ahtan engineers made headway in their relentless mission to sever him from Midnight Abyss. Suddenly, an ear-splitting shriek echoed through a realm unknown, piercing Al's senses. 

He recognized the sound; it was the same scream he had heard when he entered the etheric realm of the material plane.

After that Al returned back to his contemplation next was the 5 which he had some clues and ideas but ultimately, he was unsure. "There's my 5 internal organs and the 5 elements but what does that mean, Benjamin had said it was perfection but how?" Al pondered when a loud snap resounded as if chains hundreds of miles thick snapped. 

An intense pain entered Al's bore into Al's bones making him feel pain much more intense than he ever had. The sound was so intense the entire station shook as if an earthquake was happening. Everything suddenly went dark, and Al momentarily passed out.

As Al's consciousness flickered back to life, scarlet lights danced across the gleaming silver floor he found himself on. No longer imprisoned by metal cuffs, he was on all fours, struggling to regain his footing. 

A lethal presence coiled behind his neck, a feeling that struck terror into his very core. Raising his gaze, Al saw a figure clad in black armor, brandishing a blade of shadow poised menacingly above him. 

It leered at Al's struggle, a chilling laughter echoing through the air. Then, with an uncanny swiftness, it turned and vanished, leaving Al alone in its wake.

Desperation coursed through Al as he felt his life force slipping away. He glanced at his ring, now bearing a conspicuous crack, and sensed his Stubborn Will seeping through that fragile rift. "Damn it, who knows how much time I have left!" he muttered, determination burning in his eyes. 

Surveying his surroundings, he witnessed Rakh-ahtan soldiers torn to pieces their signature jewels in their fore heads ripped out. Without hesitation, Al began to crawl with every ounce of strength left in him through the treacherous silver puddles of liquid around the body parts. His singular goal was to reach the room where he had seen his organs sent to, regardless of the odds stacked against him.

The layout and sections of the station were imprinted into Al's mind. He crawled towards passing though bodies of Rakh-ahtan scattered across avoiding their strange blood. 

As Al pressed on a sudden explosion shook the very foundation of the station. A loud metal banging, followed by the deafening rush of a waterfall, reverberated through the corridor.

Time was of the essence. Al had observed the Rakh-ahtan's actions at the computer terminal, memorizing the sequence to unseal the door leading to the vessels. He strained every sinew to reach the console, desperation lending him strength. 

Just as he gained access, a deluge surged in, rapidly beginning to flood the room. The vessel's door swung open, and without a second thought, Al flung himself inside, sealing the entry from within to halt the encroaching water.

His breath labored and heavy, heart pounding, eyes fixed on the controls before him. This was uncharted territory. He'd never ventured inside one of these vessels from the other realm, fearing he might lose his tether to his own body. Yet, spurred by necessity, he worked frenetically, fingers dancing across buttons, hands gripping levers.

A subtle shift in the vessel's vibrations told him it was responding. It began the process of disengaging from the station, a lifeline to salvation. As Al gazed into the infinite abyss beyond, a reflection stared back at him, weathered and ancient. His once-dark hair now lay thin and white, his countenance etched with time's relentless touch. His beard and mustache bore testament to his newfound, aged visage.

Exhausted and drained, Al surrendered to the weariness that enveloped him. Darkness closed in as he closed his eyes, seeking solace in slumber. Yet, within the abyss of his mind, a lone speck of light flickered, beckoning him. Drawn by an irresistible force, he moved towards it, drawing closer and closer until he found himself gazing upon a distant world.

His journey halted as he fixated on Earth, suspended in the cosmic void. Minutes passed as he raised his hands and began to weave intricate mudras with practiced grace. It became evident to Al that he was not himself; he was seeing through the eyes of another.

As the mysterious individual completed the final gesture, the world before them underwent a profound transformation. It split into three distinct Earths - the familiar one at the center, a radiant white version to the East, and a shadowy, ebony counterpart to the West. The person reached for their lustrous black beard and plucked a single hair, cradling it gently. In a hushed whisper, they uttered something to the hair before launching it towards the obsidian Earth with astonishing velocity.

Al trailed the ethereal strand, venturing into a realm where the external became the internal. It was a place he knew well - the etheric realm of the material plane. The hair navigated through a labyrinth of tunnels and openings, slicing effortlessly through any obstacle in its path. Time lost meaning as they surged onward, until they collided with a wall, shattering through into the world where Al had first encountered Midnight Abyss.

The strand soared through the obsidian heavens, then descended gracefully, transforming into a blade-like form as it touched down in a field of inky, undulating grass.

In this moment, a vivid image materialized within Al's mind - the planting of a seed in fertile soil. Then, like a fleeting dream, darkness engulfed him once more. In what felt like the mere flutter of an eyelash, Al awakened to a reality anew. His gaze met the expanse of a clear, cerulean sky, a stark contrast to the enigmatic journey he had just undertaken.

Al saw the reflection that greeted him in the vessel's glass encasing and should have felt relief. His hair remained a striking white, but the weight of years had been shed, leaving him less aged and weathered. His Stubborn Will, once leaking and fragile, had regained its vigor. He inspected his ring, noting the diminished crack.

With cautious steps, Al rose, relishing the newfound freedom of movement that had eluded him for far too long. Though gratitude and relief should have surged through him like a tidal wave, he found himself strangely detached, he felt nothing.

Al's footsteps led him along a desolate shore, the sound of waves gently crashing against the beach accompanying his solitary journey. When he turned to regard the vessel in the distance, a startling realization washed over him - he was submerged deep in the ocean floor. The weight of this revelation should have been staggering, but Al's emotions remained curiously subdued.

Venturing further, he entered a dense forest that bordered the shoreline. His gaze was drawn to a sight that would have typically elicited shock or wonder, but Al's heart remained untouched.

Before him, a colossal blue slug, towering at about four feet in height, methodically scaled a tree. It was evident to Al that this entity was not bound by the constraints of physicality, akin to the peculiar worms that had infested the Rakh-ahtan in the gray realm. A dawning realization illuminated him - the entire forest teemed with such astral beings.

"I'm inside my body but I can see the astral realm?" Al mused, his voice devoid of any discernible emotion.