Eren's consciousness found itself adrift, flying away in an unknkwn direction without the use of wings or magic.
It felt as though his soul had been ejected from his body, plunging into the unknown.
Weightless and formless, a vague shape lingered in his subconscious. His senses stretched through the liminal space between reality and ethereality, an unconscious endeavor to grasp his uncertain existence.
Dizzy and disoriented, Eren savored an immersive sensation, akin to being in an imagined pool of water, though no water was there.
This peculiar state embraced him, offering respite from the burdens he had carried throughout his life. Longing to shed his emotions and simply exist, he felt content in this timeless state.
Eren sensed his soul hurtling through countless realms, far surpassing the known cosmos, indicating that what he understood was a mere fraction of what truly existed. It was as though he had departed from a drop of water containing his consciousness only to face an endless sea.
His soul drifted aimlessly, carefree. After what felt like an eternity, a foreign thought pierced his consciousness, signaling the fact that he was forgetting something.
'Hmm?'
An unknown presence sought to communicate through unconventional means, relying solely on thoughts for this intimate exchange.
[ Seek and ye shall find. ]
This realization infiltrated Eren's consciousness, probing his desires.
[ You're asking me what I want? ]
Eren pondered, his past and present swirling in his mind, the question proving as challenging as it appeared. What could he possibly want from anyone? What could he possibly get from the world?
Allowing his thoughts to roam freely, Eren sought the answer. Despite his lack of complete control, he gained clarity in his current state. This because the immersion his soul was subjected to seemed to contain all the answers to questions he could think of.
'What… what do I want?'
Eren's essence dissipated into the expanse, his mind questing for answers, perceiving infinite mysteries across boundless worlds, expanding his previous perceptions.
'This… This is too much. The sheer number of possibilities.'
The deluge of information caused him to halt, recognizing his unreadiness to confront the unknown. His existence felt too fragile to delve deeper into what lay beyond.
[ Ask, and it will be given to you. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and the door will be opened to you. ]
The space that surrounded his existence, once a single droplet, echoed in Eren's mind again, this time unveiling more, demanding greater involvement.
Excited and stressed at the same time, Eren watched the door to infinity swing wide open before him.
Eren's subconscious mind felt overwhelmed by countless possibilities, clouding his thoughts further. The vastness ahead scared him, making him feel unready to tackle the infinite choices awaiting him.
Despite his limited understanding, he managed to stay sane. Or was trying hard to. He wondered if staying with limited perspective and choices was the path to satisfaction.
Perhaps, with his limited view, he could create a path leading to perpetual contentment.
If he were to know everything, his life's meaning might vanish. He'd always sought personal freedom's highest point. But if he'd already reached it, where could he head next?
The knowledge of everything was attainable, but greedily absorbing it might cost him his identity. In his current state, he wasn't ready to claim everything there was to know even if he could.
Thus, Eren decided to not lay claim over the infinite possibilities that lay before him. He didn't want them if they meant losing himself.
When faced with many such dilemmas, Eren grasped something he'd been oblivious to all his life. Perhaps, within the realm of limited possibilities lay a man's potential to maximize what he had. Maybe, with limited resources, lay a man's skill to create something precious out of them.
[ Seek, and ye shall find ]
Everything was up for the taking. However, one needs to pay the price for what they are looking for. That's what the higher consciousness was trying to tell Eren when it reverberated a single thought in his being.
These enigmatic thoughts resonated over and over within Eren's consciousness, like ripples in water. They penetrated his senses without overwhelming him.
The space around Eren seemed to quiver as the thought urged him to seek the answers within himself. Subconsciously, Eren sensed that staying in this state for long would dissolve his sense of self.
So, instead of seeking external answers, Eren looked inward, delving into the depths of his being to discover what he truly needed.
'What do I need?' he questioned himself, feeling the weight of his existence amidst boundless possibilities. 'If this is the realm of infinite choices, I seek an infinity that aligns with my existence.'
[ Seek, and ye shall find ]
The resounding thought echoed again, like a drop of ink into a crystal-clear pool of water. The ink dissolved into the water, thinning into oblivion one look at a time before losing its value completely, vanishing without a trace.
Eren had grown used to these thought-provoking interruptions, realizing they aimed not to disrupt his thoughts but to fortify his resolve. He repeated his newfound convictions to himself, embracing the resolutions forming within him. They tempered his resolve, allowing him to make sense of them.
He always knew his goals. But now he was starting to understand the reason behind their existence. He was starting to realize why he should have them and what will be the cost of nurturing such goals.
'I now understand that my existence, once significant to me, pales in comparison to the vast world around me. I am but a pebble in the grand scheme of things. So whatever I choose based on my current needs would only limit the future-me.
Thus, I refuse to limit myself based on my narrow perspective. I choose to be selfish to obtain what can be obtained by the past, present, and future-me.
I want to protect what is mine at all costs. I yearn to be greedy, to live life to the fullest, and embrace all that it offers. I also want to experience the vastness of life up close and decipher the mysteries hidden in the cause-and-effect fabric.'
