"Since you don't have any formal training, I'm just going to speed-run through some of the basics," Ingrid said as she walked toward the center of the training hall. Her boots made soft, deliberate clicks on the smooth floor. "There's no time to get into details, so pay attention."
The lights dimmed slightly, and a faint hum filled the room as several holographic projectors flickered to life around them.
Transparent diagrams spun lazily in the air — planetary clusters, energy flows, gate formations — like a floating constellation of knowledge.
Hugo straightened his posture, trying to look attentive.
Ingrid continued crisply, "Let's start with theory. You're already in the Initiate Stage, which means you've begun cultivation, so I'll skip the foundation principles." She tapped on a hovering console, and a new diagram appeared — two glowing spheres connected by a swirling line of light.
"Let's move on to Gates. Do you know what a Gate is?"
Hugo blinked, thinking. "It's like a portal of some sort?"
"Yes and no." Ingrid turned slightly, her sharp profile illuminated by the pale blue holograms. "A Gate is, as its name suggests, a gate — but not the same as a portal. Portals are one-way mechanisms; they transport from point A to point B, simple as that. Gates, however…" She waved her hand, and the hologram pulsed, showing energy flowing in both directions. "Gates link two worlds together — bi-directional. Anything, or anyone, can pass through from either side."
Hugo nodded, intrigued. "So both worlds can use it?"
"Exactly," she said, pacing slowly as she spoke. "Now, a Gate is formed when two worlds within the same branch experience a simultaneous surge in Eon concentration. Sounds complicated, I know — so let me break it down."
The hologram zoomed in, showing one world labeled Earth, and another one beside it following in a tube-like zone.
Bright threads of light flared between two glowing points on each surface.
"If a specific region on Earth experiences an unusually high Eon concentration," Ingrid explained, "and — by coincidence — a corresponding area in another world of the same branch experiences the same spike, then the veil separating those worlds weakens. When it weakens enough…" She made a short, slicing motion with her hand. "A Gate forms. A bridge between worlds."
She turned her gaze back to him. "Any questions so far?"
Hugo nodded slowly, processing the avalanche of information. "Yeah… when you say 'belonging to the same branch,' what exactly does that mean?"
Ingrid gave a short exhale — not quite a sigh, more like she'd expected that question. "Our researchers are still working on that. So far, it's more theory than confirmed science." She flicked through the holographic interface again, and now it displayed an intricate web of interconnected worlds, each cluster pulsing faintly like neurons in a brain.
"We've discovered that there are hundreds — maybe thousands — of worlds out there. Each cluster is separated by dimensional partitions we call branches. Think of a branch as a section of the universe where certain worlds are naturally connected through their Eon frequency."
Hugo stared at the projection. "So, like… smaller universes within the big one?"
"Something like that," she said. "So far, we've documented three confirmed worlds that share the same branch as ours. But we're confident there are more. The problem is, we can't access them until a Gate linking to those worlds appears — and those are unpredictable. Or rather," she corrected herself, tapping a new command, "they used to be."
That last line caught Hugo's attention. "What do you mean?"
"Experiments" she continued, tone even. "You've probably noticed how rarely random Gates appear in the city these days, yes?"
Hugo nodded. "Yeah… the rate had gone down a bit."
"That's because of our current experiment," she said, clasping her hands behind her back. "The Domains now have limited control over the flow of Eon within their territories. They can stabilize or disrupt energy concentrations at will. If an area begins to accumulate too much Eon and risks forming a Gate, they disperse it. Conversely, if we want to cause a Gate formation…"
She gestured at the display again, and the holographic models rippled with streams of concentrated light. "They can deliberately manipulate Eon flow to induce synchronization. If another world in the same branch is experiencing a similar surge, a Gate forms between both. It's how we've begun exploring systematically instead of relying on random luck."
Hugo raised a brow slightly genuinely surprised. "You mean… we can create Gates now?"
"Not perfectly," Ingrid said with a faint frown. "Control is still limited. Interference from other worlds' energy fields can cause backlash. But yes — we're close."