Someone was knocking at the door
I knew that
But this slumber is sublime, simply wasting the moment to wake up is ridiculous.
Sitting on a grand throne was a man in a deep sleep, resting peacefully with his head sat on his shoulder. His arms on top of his legs with his fingers intertwining.
He wore cotton clothing, nothing special by earths standards yet in this world its a rarity, something even nobles would wish to wear. He had sizeable muscles and a build that fit his face and long hair, making him look dignified in his sleep.
The knocks grew louder and louder, the sleeping man did not wake yet he understood he needed too. he felt himself walking on a water plain with the sky painted black, interrupted with blobs of orange circles resembling blackholes.
He called this place the Palace, while inside the Palace he was technically awake, yet his energy recharged alongside his mana. Not to mention the feeling of euphoria that came with watching the circles reflections move along the lakes surface.
If he could, he'd never leave.
He waved around in his Palace, his dancing so smooth, slow and precise. Slowly the dancing man had a blue aura around him, Mana.
The feeling of recharging mana was a cathartic one, mana didn't flow through veins but a layer atop of the skin that was too thin to see.
"Ah"
The man called Kander saw his arms radiate a beautiful blue that contrasted the black sky and smiled at the familiar sight. Mana being recharged would need to be collected through the Palace's mana rich atmosphere and slowly condensed till it completed his skin.
Two loud voices interrupted Kanders trance, making him scoff and reluctantly open his eyes, maybe half of his Mana available.
"Sir master Kander is meditating you mustn't disrupt!" A slightly high pitch voice protested someone outside Kander's door, this was his student Jahi
"Listen little one, I'm here equally for me and Kander, I'm not concerned with your squabbling"
The gold door handle twisted and the door slowly opened, Kander was now leaning forwards on his throne with his arms resting on his large desk, supporting his face with his fingers painting a pensive picture.
Kander spoke first.
"Please, take a seat"
He moved his hand and pointed towards one of the two chairs opposite his, not even bothering to look at the intruder.
"I heard you was in your Palace young master"
The unknown man spoke in a gentle tone, a stark contrast with the tone he took with his student.
"You heard correct, now present your concerns"
Jahi was standing at the door seemingly ready to open it for the strange man at anytime, he knew Kander well enough to know he wouldn't entertain absurdities.
"Allow me to introduce myse-"
Kander interrupted after a giggle.
"No need, state the reason for your presence quickly"
The intruder had a slight frown which was lost on Kander, he had long forsaken the view of faces as they showed something Kander didn't wish to see, all he saw was a blur with hair that rivalled his own hair's length.
"It's time to sign the contract for the bridge you commissioned, all materials have been transported and all that's left to start construction is permission to alter his lordships land"
Kander smirked, his bridge was finally being built aye? Took the company long enough.
Kander asked for the papers and received, he calmly took his pen from the inkpot and wrote his name on multiple pieces of paper before handing the bundle back to the man grinning with a sense of peace filling his mind.
The stranger stood up from his seat and mentioned his peaceful look, making Kander's thoughts drift from returning to the Palace to change.
You see Kander wished to change, he felt like he wasn't enough. He reached the peak of martial arts at a spectacular age, was unrivalled with his Mana proficiency in his provenance and lead a thriving village that was about to start a large trade network with the neighbouring town thanks to this bridge.
Yet something felt wrong, he reached the zenith of a mighty mountain that was as steep as a stair to Kander, what pleasure comes from stepping forwards?
Jahi bowed to the architect as he opened the door for the man holding the freshly signed papers, offering to escort him out of the manor... it was fairly large after all.
The door quietly shut and once more Kander found himself alone, but there was no feeling of euphoria like the Palace, just a feeling that was slowly eating his very own soul.
Disturbed, he closed his eye's and sat back on his throne to get comfortable and entered his soul palace once again.
A surge of Mana became mist around him, illuminating the immediate area
"Stunning" He thought, staring at the sight with awe.
Every Master could access the Palace as it was ones access to Mana and by extension, magic. Try think of the Palace as a rare variant of a soul as opposed to a dream, meaning the path of a master is limited to lucky individuals born with the Palace or descendants of a few powerful bloodlines.
The now watery Mana flowed down his arms and seemed to seep into his skin, in reality it just spread itself neatly around his limbs till it was a thin veil. The Palace slowly became dark as Kander feel into a real sleep.
---
Outside the manor was a vast garden of immaculately tended to bushes and grass, the appearance of wealth and perfection was radiated by simply everything Kander presented to his villagers.
Two men strolled down the stairs infront of the entrance and walked side by side down the path between two separate gardens that had visual symmetry.
"Sorry about Master Kander, you caught him at the worst time"
Jahi looked down to the pavement, refusing to meet the architects eyes as he apologized on Kanders behalf. The architect seemed flustered before responding.
"No worries, all prodigies are strange aren't they?"
The walk came to a stop Infront of grand lake with multiple benches around the lake.
"Care to take a seat with me?"
Jahi accepted the offer and sat beside the man, facing the grand waterscape with flourishing wildlife
The architect put his hand on Jahi's shoulder and laughed before plopping himself down on the bench, patting the empty spot next to him beckoningly.
"Y'know Jahi, I've built bridges for aristocrats around the country for 20 years yet I've never been interrupted while introducing my name"
Jahi panicked, he instantly turned his head and tried apologizing but he was swiftly cut off.
"I suppose a mortals legacy matters not to a master, they've seen legacies beyond a mortals peak I assume"
Jahi went quiet, he knew well the pain of being unable to use the Palace. It was only until Kander told the denizens of his village about how he enters the Palace that Jahi discovered his latent soul.
Unlike Kander's Palace, Jahi's Palace was a snowy mountain in a village, He would play in the snow with his brother, letting the snow fall onto his skin and melt into water that would spread around his body in an euphoric sensation that covered his body head to toe to recharge Mana. The Palace was simply a Masters ideal.
"This bridge is just another tool to cement my name through time, I think that's my ultimate goal; to be remembered."
The architect diverted his gaze into the sky with a sense of longing, Jahi looked conflicted as he responded.
"I myself lived as a mortal until a few months ago, Kander helped me unlock something life changing."
The architect looked at the young scholar now looking at the ground, following the waving grass's shadow on the pavement.
"I've never considered leaving a legacy, my life's been full of studies recently... you don't really get the privilege to consider that as a mortal too."
The architect laughed and patted the boys shoulder, inviting him to lunch.
"How about we get lunch? I'd love to know more about your palace."
Unknown to the pair, Kander was inside his Palace sitting on the water, staring at one of the blackholes which broadcasted the duos every word, such simple sorcery was easy for kander. It was a way to make his authority omnipresent opposed to his omnipotent akin magic level.
Kander stared blanky, getting ready to intervene.