The Paragon Forge (1)

Klaus appeared back inside his soul sea as if he had never left. 

Looking at the bead, he could tell it was now awakened, and he could take it out from his soul sea or even enter it at will. 

Not that he would be doing that anytime soon. He had seen what awaited him, and for now, he could only dismiss all thoughts regarding the nature of the bead. 

He would save it for when he was ready. 

Now, he had to return to the seventh core and examine the red gem, radiating a feeling of love. Of course, he expected something to happen, but even after touching it, nothing seemed to occur. 

He even went as far as fiddling with it for several minutes before giving up. However, he knew it was only a matter of time before he understood its purpose. 

He moved ahead to the eighth core, where everything about the place was mixed up. There were fragments of everything and nothing. It was as though reality, space, and time were in disarray.