'Why should I?' the calm voice replied.
'HewillhelpyourLovedOneHeWillHelpSoyouHelptooHelphimHelphim.'
The words of the Darkness Elementals were overlapping, but Neo could more or less understand them.
Strangely enough, he felt a close connection to Darkness.
'HelpNeoHelpNeoHelpNeo.'
He frowned, as he picked up on the urgency in their tone.
The Darkness Elementals seemed desperate to get him out of the dimension.
A few Darkness Elementals noticed the confusion etched across Neo's face.
They began to circle him.
'TheAirtrickedyoutrickedyou.'
'YouareinForbiddenLandsForbiddenLands.'
'Leavequicklyquickly.'
'Child,' the calm voice of the Space Elementals resonated in Neo's ears, cutting through the chaotic whispers. 'Will you do as the Darkness has said and help my Loved One?'
Countless questions sprang to Neo's mind like an unending tide.
Who was 'he' that made the Darkness Elementals so terrified?
Neo had no time to question the Elementals.
The statues outside began to break through the barrier of Darkness.
Their attacks caused cracks to spread across the barrier like a spiderweb.
"Okay," he said, making his decision in a split second.
'Very well,' the Space Elementals replied.
He felt a sudden shift, like being yanked through layers of existence.
He stumbled forward, and the air around him changed completely.
In the next instant, Neo found himself back in the chamber where he had made his breakthrough just minutes ago.
The walls had completed their repair and the water he had spilled was still on the ground.
For a moment, Neo questioned if any of it had even happened.
If not for the torn fabric of his clothes and the deep bruises covering his body, he might have thought it was all an illusion.
Neo let out a long breath.
He sank to the cold stone floor.
His chest rose and fell heavily, as he recalled the past few minutes.
[Empathetic Transcendence]
"Looks like Crownless King progressed thanks to Link Lock."
While Neo was checking the changes in status, a familiar voice boomed in his mind.
[Where did you disappear to!?]
[Wait, why are you injured?]
"I don't know where I was."
He leaned his head back against the wall.
"The Air Elementals taught me Dimensional Shift, and—"
[Are you fucking crazy!?]
The voice cut him off, laced with disbelief and fury.
[You tried a Dimensional Shift movement without Space Affinity?]
[Were you trying to be Spirited Away?]
[Yes, Spirited Away. There are countless dimensions that overlap with our own.]
[We don't know that since the dimensions exist in different frequencies.]
The Sphinx spoke as if it was explaining to a child.
Normal dimensions were x (height), y (length), and z (depth).
These three dimensions were fundamental to all worlds.
The fourth and above dimensions, however, were unique to each world.
[The fourth dimension could be A1 (Time) for Planet 1, and it could be A4 (Light) for Planet 3.]
[People can perceive and interact with worlds that has the same dimensions as them.]
Neo furrowed his brows as he listened.
[Moving between different dimensions is possible only when you have 'Spatial Perception' to sense those dimensions.]
[But getting lost after entering the Gap is common for even them. Just having high-Space affinity mastery is not enough.]
The Sphinx's voice was filled with urgency and a suppressed irritation.
"Then why could I do that?"
[That's what I'm trying to know.]
[You don't have Space Affinity. Without it, you can't have Spatial Perception.]
[Dimensional Shift should be impossible for you.]
"Maybe it was because I copied the movements of Air Elementals."
Not having Space Perception and having Space Perception to enter the Gap must be like a deaf person talking and a normal person talking.
Naturally, the difficulty was insanely high for someone deaf.
[…Are you joking with me?]
"I don't think we are close enough to joke with each other."
The Sphinx became silent.
Neo could tell it was trying to process his words.
It was his first time seeing the Sphinx lose composure .
'Seems like getting lost in dimensions and getting back is very rare,' Neo realized. 'I shouldn't have listened to those little shits.'
The Air Elementals giggled as they floated around.
They had been surprised when Neo returned from the Gap.
But their surprise was quickly overshadowed by excitement as the success of their prank sank in.
Neo ignored their antics, knowing he couldn't do anything at the moment.
'What I don't understand is how I could enter the Gap.'
'Just by listening to the Sphinx, I can tell it's something that needs a lot of training.'
'Now that I think about it, wasn't it too easy for me to copy the movements of the Air Elementals?'
Neo clenched his fists.
He had managed to mimic the Dimensional Shift on the first attempt.
It had been effortless for him.
Neo's train of thought came to a screeching halt as the system screen in front of him flickered.
[There is a lot I want to say, but before that, complete your preparations and come meet me.]
[Bring Elizabeth along with you.]
The Sphinx's words appeared in glowing text on the system screen.
It no longer 'talked'.
The screen went blank.
It was Sphinx's way of saying their conversation had ended.
Neo clicked his tongue.
He ran a hand through his hair and straightened his clothes when he noticed something.
Moments later, the Space Elementals began to stir in the surroundings.
The space rippled, like the surface of a pond disturbed by a gentle breeze.
Silver lights danced around.
As the silvery portal slowly began to materialize, Neo tried to communicate with the Elementals.
None of them responded.
'My trait isn't working?'
'I was able to hear the Elementals earlier, but I can't do it now.'
'I guess I need to train the Trait to use it properly.'
Despite the silence of the Elementals, Neo could still sense their presence lingering in the air.
However, the connection that once allowed him to converse with them seemed to have vanished.
It was like a switch that turned on and off on its own.
The portal finally materialized completely.
A figure flashed through it and stopped before Neo.
Charlotte grabbed his wrist with an iron-likw grip without waiting for his response.
She began channeling her Divine Energy into him.
Her energy came across the invisible barrier of World Energy protecting Neo's body.
The feedback was immediate.
A surge of power repelled her energy, causing it to ricochet harmlessly away.
All demigods and awakeners used Energy as a barrier.
It was to enhance their physical stats and defense, but the strength of Neo's barrier was unusual.
His barrier was too strong and Charlotte couldn't pierce it.
Charlotte raised her gaze to meet his eyes.
"The presence I felt a few minutes ago. Was it really you? Have… have you made a breakthrough Exalted rank?"
Her words felt absurd to herself.
Neo had been around Grade 1 Paragon a few days ago.
It should've taken him a few years, or decades, to reach peak Paragon.
Then, he would need to train extensively for more years to make a breakthrough, which had a very high chances of being a failure.