15: Shards of Consciousness

It hadn't been long since Nullus realized that the universe surrounding him was not mere matter, but a fabric woven of concepts dancing in the depths of existence, as if inviting him to touch them. While he was walking with Serene through one of the old neighborhoods of Novi Ira, his conceptual vision erupted before his eyes in an unexpected form; in Serene's eyes—while she smiled at him with a look of both longing and mystery—a phrase slithered into his heart, shimmering between the light of the soul and its shadows: "Attraction toward Nullus."

It was as if time had momentarily stopped; Nullus felt the words utter themselves softly in the depths of his being, as if opening a gateway to a new understanding. He tried to concentrate his awareness until he grasped that phrase, studying it as if it were the key to a long-hidden secret. With each particle of focus, he began to sense that he could amplify that very feeling residing in Serene's heart; he could see how her attraction toward him blazed like a fervent flame dancing to the whispers of time.

Yet, with this deep insight came a strange surge of remorse. How could he possibly manipulate someone else's feelings, even inadvertently? His heart—which he had always regarded as merely a mirror of his fluctuating existence—grew heavy with the weight of guilt. He couldn't resist that sensation, which felt as if it were a stranger intruding upon his very self.

As he wrestled with these conflicting emotions, Nullus felt compelled to flee this situation, even if it meant isolating himself from a world that was beginning to respond to him. Interrupting Serene, she said,

"I'm sorry, I have something to do… Let's meet tomorrow at work, as usual."

Deciding he needed solitude, Nullus withdrew to his small room in a rundown neighborhood, a place where he could confront himself without the clamor of external voices.

Upon arriving at his modest apartment, he stood before the cracked mirror, its surface capturing fragments of his lost past as if they were shards from an unwritten story. He activated his conceptual vision—the power that had granted him profound insight into hidden truths—and attempted to discern the essence of his own being. Yet, the concept he expected did not materialize.

At first, he saw nothing; there was neither a human nor a beast, no concept occupying the center of his existence. The void within him intermingled like a broken mirror, each fragment narrating an incomplete tale, devoid of clear meaning.

Nullus studied his reflection, and then resolved to deepen his conceptual vision further, as if searching for a missing piece in the puzzle of his identity. Gradually, tiny shards of symbols began to seep from the depths—faint, almost ephemeral letters scattered here and there, making their first appearance. They appeared like dim points of light, solitary letters that were barely comprehensible.

But despite his efforts to read them, the letters remained distant, as if they belonged to another language—a language he couldn't decipher or understand. These fragments emerged chaotically, unordered, as if they had just silently left an unfinished message.

At that moment, sharp and startling questions assailed him:

"Am I merely a reflection of words that have yet to be written?"

"Is my essence empty because I was born from nothing?"

"Or am I nothing more than shadows of the memories of someone who no longer exists—or perhaps never existed at all?"

His heart oscillated between pain and curiosity, between the desire to know himself and the fear of the bitter truth that might lie behind it all. His soul trembled with these questions, until it seemed as if the universe itself was devouring them in an endless void.

Nullus stood before the mirror, contemplating those tiny shards of letters, seeking an answer—any meaning that could connect him to his existence. Deep in that profound moment, his thoughts turned to another, strange idea that began to settle into his consciousness:

"Perhaps the key to understanding myself is to accept that I am nothing, and that within this void lie all possibilities."

He started to feel that this new understanding was not merely intellectual; it transformed into a hidden power within him. His conceptual vision was no longer limited to perceiving things as they were; it began to expand to include himself, forming part of the story of the universe that was being written without his intervention.

At that moment, Nullus realized that the only way to reclaim himself—to retrieve his memories, his strength, and his dominion—was to delve deep into that void, to immerse himself in the depths of those mysterious letters, and to rewrite his story word by word.

As he pondered, he whispered to himself in a soft yet resolute voice:

"I am what I choose to be. I am Nullus."

And with every letter that appeared before his eyes, he felt a stirring within his soul, as if a glimmer of hope had begun to seep into his inner emptiness. It was a beginning—a step toward reclaiming his lost identity.

---

While Nullus remained hesitant in his modest room, he began to grapple with his new ability, which he called Amplification. He possessed the power to perceive raw concepts—the meanings invisible to the naked eye—but now he wanted to test how potent they could become when magnified.

He turned toward the faded wall that bordered his room and fixed his eyes intently on its weathered surface. Activating his conceptual vision, the hidden layers began to unfold until a single word emerged clearly: "Fasl" (meaning "separation").

It wasn't just a word etched on the wall; it was an expression of the concept of division and boundaries—the wall, in essence, was a symbol of separation between two places, between his inner self and the outside world. Nullus felt that this concept carried deep meaning; it separated existence from nonexistence, the familiar from the unknown.

With renewed determination, Nullus began to use his new power to amplify that concept. He raised his hand and concentrated his mind until the dim light began to pulse from the word, glowing as if the concept itself was expanding and magnifying. Suddenly, it seemed as if the reality of his room split apart; he felt the wall transform into more than just a surface—it became a portal that isolated his room from the external world, turning it into a pocket dimension detached from ordinary reality.

Nullus stood there, stunned, gazing at the altered space around him—everything was shrouded in a layer of magical mystery, as if time itself had ceased to flow. It appeared that this power had unleashed an extraordinary force, yet at the same time, he wondered:

"Could I amplify my own power if I focused on the concepts that define me?"

He attempted to direct his vision inward, searching for fragments of his identity hidden deep within him. Yet, each time he tried, the void swallowed his sight. He saw nothing; not a trace of a human, not a hint of a beast, not even a symbol to indicate his essence. It was as if his ability to amplify concepts worked solely on external objects, while his inner essence remained empty—a blank page, carrying no evidence of his true existence.

He took a deep breath and felt the bitter sting of this discovery. He had believed that the key to reclaiming his strength and dominion lay in understanding himself, in reconfiguring his identity through words and meanings. Yet now, he found that this ability, which had seemed so promising for magnifying every concept around him, failed when applied to himself.

He felt a profound sense of deficiency and incapacity, as if a part of him was impervious to manipulation or change. This realization struck him like a heavy blow to his faith in himself; he understood that there were limits to his power, and that his deep comprehension of external concepts might not translate easily into understanding his own inner being.

In that moment, while the wall bearing the word "Fasl" still glowed under the influence of amplification, Nullus whispered softly, as if confiding his deepest secret:

"Am I nothing more than a reflection of words yet unwritten? Is my essence empty because I was born from nothing? Or am I merely shadows of memories of someone who no longer exists—or perhaps never existed at all?"

Slowly, Nullus lifted his head and gazed into the cracked mirror, where he saw a faint glimmer of those scattered shards he couldn't yet decipher.

---

Meanwhile, Nullus began to experiment with his new power, Amplification, which allowed him to magnify the impact of any concept he observed. He activated his conceptual vision and fixated on the faded wall of his room. Layers of hidden meaning unraveled before him until a single word emerged in bold clarity: "Fasl."

This was not just a word on the wall—it was a manifestation of the concept of separation, a symbol of the boundary dividing two spaces, between his inner world and the outer reality. Nullus sensed that this concept held profound significance; it separated existence from nothingness, the familiar from the unknown.

With renewed determination, he employed his amplification ability on this concept. He raised his hand and concentrated his mind until the faint light began to pulsate from the word, glowing as if the concept itself was expanding. Suddenly, as if the reality of his room had split apart, he felt the wall transform into more than a mere surface—it became a gateway, isolating his room into a pocket dimension, detached from the ordinary world.

Nullus stood there, astonished, surveying the dramatically altered space—everything was shrouded in an aura of mystical obscurity, as if time had come to a halt. It seemed that his ability had unleashed an extraordinary force, yet he wondered:

"Could I amplify my own power if I focused on the concepts that define me?"

He attempted to turn his vision inward, seeking fragments of his identity hidden in the recesses of his soul. Yet every effort was met with an all-consuming void. Nothing appeared—no trace of a human, no vestige of a beast, not even a symbol that might hint at his essence. It was as if his amplification worked solely on external objects, while his inner self remained an empty page, devoid of any proof of his true existence.

A deep sorrow mixed with frustration flooded him as he realized the flaw in his power. He had believed that the key to reclaiming his strength and dominion lay in understanding himself through the language of concepts. But now he discovered that this ability, promising as it was for expanding external notions, faltered when applied to his own essence.

He felt an acute sense of loss and incapacity, as if a part of him remained untouchable, unchangeable. This discovery struck him like a devastating blow, challenging his faith in his own potential. His deep understanding of external concepts could not, it seemed, unlock the secrets of his inner self.

In that profound moment, with the word "Fasl" still glowing on the wall as a testament to separation, Nullus whispered to himself, barely audible,

"I am what I choose to be. I am Nullus."

With these words, he sensed a faint spark of hope, as if a fragment of his being was beginning to awaken within the emptiness. It was the first step on a long journey to reclaim his lost identity, to gather the scattered shards of who he once was.

Then, determined to test the limits of his new power, Nullus decided to experiment further with Amplification. He focused his conceptual vision once more on the wall of his room. As his mind honed in, the hidden layers unfolded until the word "Fasl" emerged clearly again—a concept embodying division, the barrier between two realms: his inner self and the outer world.

Driven by curiosity and resolve, he amplified this concept. With each heartbeat, the dim light from the word grew brighter until the wall itself appeared to split apart, isolating his room as if it were a self-contained pocket dimension. For a fleeting moment, Nullus felt the surge of potential; had he truly the power to expand his own essence if he focused on it?

But when he attempted to direct that amplification inward, to reveal the hidden symbols of his own identity, nothing came. No image, no word, no sign appeared to denote the core of his being—only a profound emptiness. It was as if his power was effective only for external concepts, leaving his internal essence as a blank slate, a void devoid of any substance.

This failure struck him deeply. He had believed that understanding and amplifying his own fundamental concepts would unlock his true strength and authority. Instead, he found that while he could expand the meaning of external objects, his own identity remained elusive—a mystery he could neither grasp nor rewrite.

As he stood in that surreal, isolated space, Nullus's mind churned with questions:

"Am I merely a reflection of words yet to be written? Is my essence empty because I was born from nothing? Or am I just a shadow, composed of fragments of memories from someone who no longer exists—or perhaps never did?"

These questions reverberated within him, echoing off the very fabric of his soul. Yet, amid the despair, a new realization began to take shape—a determination to rewrite his story, word by word, to fill the void with meaning.

Drawing a steady breath, he looked once more at the glowing word on the wall and whispered with renewed resolve:

"I am what I choose to be. I am Nullus."

Though the road ahead remained uncertain, and his power to amplify his own essence proved limited, he now understood that every external concept he manipulated was a stepping stone toward reclaiming his lost identity. Each fragment of meaning he gathered would, in time, become the foundation upon which he would rebuild his true self—a self not defined solely by external perceptions, but by the rich, untold story hidden within him.

Thus, with the echo of his whispered declaration resonating in the silence, Nullus stepped away from the wall. He carried with him the bitter taste of failure in amplifying his inner essence, yet also a spark of hope that this very limitation would drive him to seek deeper truths. In the vast, paradoxical expanse of his existence, where emptiness was both his curse and his canvas, he resolved to continue his journey, gathering every stray symbol, every elusive memory, to eventually rewrite the story of who he was meant to be.