Unique.

—

Shaking his head at the sight of the girl who never seemed to have negative emotions or thoughts, Richard gently hugged her. He didn't make any verbal promises or swear any oaths, but he knew deep down that he would do anything to restore her wrist, even if it meant sacrificing the entire universe in the process.

After giving his soon-to-be-adopted daughter a gentle kiss on the top of her head and rubbing her hair messily, which made Ember giggle, he said goodbye to her and everyone else, as he would be busy again from now on.

Taking Moiraine and Ervine's hands to arrive at the same location on Skidbladnir, Richard then allowed himself to be pulled into the Cognitive Realms easily, thanks to their anchor of Bond and Connection there.

Unlike other Mythic Path holders who need to sacrifice something to reach realms different from their place of origin, Richard and the other Heralds can bypass this limitation because they have already created a Sa'angreal with Bond and Connection that exists in three realms simultaneously. Because of that Bond, for Heralds, jumping from one realm to another is as simple as taking the next step in walking.

Even the Spren, who can move freely between the Physical Realms without consequences, must be prepared to lose their memory and become like nature, devoid of their own will, according to Lanfear's discovery from four nights ago. Not to mention the armies brought by Khorne, the god of blood and killing, which Yennefer had discovered.

When Khorne's army steps into the Physical Realm, they become nothing more than monsters driven by animal instincts, despite having once been great generals. Only Khorne himself retains his mind and does not degrade into a simple beast, thanks to the Bond and Connection reinforced by his Mythic Path.

Because of this, Margarita proposed a theory at the time that the Mythic Path somewhat alleviates the Connection and Bond within individuals. This theory was later confirmed by Moiraine and Richard after observing Tzarina Katarin's own Mythic Path and how it correlates with her people. She is able to feel sentiment and devotion after seeing a Kislevite sacrificed by the Aen Elle.

Although the scale is vastly different from Khorne's—since Tzarina must travel through different clusters of multiverses, resulting in very minimal effects, such as only instant inspiration and knowledge about Ice Magic, while Khorne, Richard, and others who are thrown into this world need to slowly gain inspiration over the course of their lives—this still serves as good evidence supporting Margarita's theory about the correlation between Connection, Bond, and their Mythic Path.

Feeling that something was amiss, since he was able to mull over the inner workings of these fundamental forces of the multiverse at great length without being distracted even a little bit, Richard looked toward Moiraine and then toward Ervine, who were also lost in their own worlds of musing. Observing the twisting dark clouds of the Cognitive Realms in the sky and all around the ships, Richard finally realized what Lanfear meant that these realms are capable of transforming their minds into something bizarre.

Wanting to activate the firewall hidden within Skidbladnir to protect their mind from turning into a single minded dimwit, Richard thanks his Breathing that he doesn't need to do that. Seeing Lanfear getting out of the large hatch of the ships and weaving her hand to make their mind return to normal, he then heard her grind of teeth of cursing.

"Damnable Hircine! Did he need to be so petty?! It's just a trinket to defend against the altering of the mind!"

After removing the dreamcatcher that was nailed to the mast of the ship, Lanfear turned toward the three people she had not seen since their escape from Archimonde. Seeing the dragon wanting to step forward and hug her in greeting, Lanfear then watched as he slowly floated in the air alone. Stunned, because this was the first time she had seen this kind of reaction from anyone arriving in the Cognitive Realm, Lanfear immediately grabbed Richard's hand, similar to how a child holds onto a balloon.

"W-what happened?" Moiraine asked.

"I don't know," Ervine answered.

Terrified that the g-forces aren't working properly, Richard moves an inch by mistake and is instantly thrown to the side as if caught by some invisible wind. Even using Sun Breathing to simulate his own gravitational forces, he still can't fall to the ground properly, causing his body to spiral chaotically in all directions and making him flail like a flag.

Seeing that the two people who arrived with him are fine and unaffected by any vectorization issues, Richard suddenly feels an absurd urge to laugh bitterly, not understanding what has happened to him.

Angry, Lanfear cursed the air, "Accursed bitch, this must be Vaermina's doing! Just you wait, you witch—I will turn you into a rat if I ever see you again!"

"No, I don't think it is," Moiraine interjected. "Whatever is happening to him, let's bring him to the deck first before we come to any conclusions," she added, taking Richard's other hand.

Creating a small propulsion system all over his body to combat the unique g-forces of this realm using his flaming mark, which makes the two ladies' job easier, Richard laughs bitterly and starts to express his opinion.

"I think I am like this because of my mind."

Dragging Richard like a balloon now, thanks to the fire jetting out from all over his body, Lanfear suddenly has a eureka moment, "Ah, is it because of your unswerving calm state?" 

Seeing him nod, Lanfear lets out a bitter chuckle and says, "Then that means there's nothing we can do about it. Without your emotions being fully expressed, you will remain like this every time you come to the Cognitive Realm."

Letting out a sigh of lamentation because the Selfless State is becoming permanent—meaning it is already becoming part of him—Richard shakes his head, knowing that there are always flaws in everything. Although his calm, logical mind helps him think rationally, part of his emotion must also be dulled to accommodate this attribute.

This also means that in the Cognitive Realm, where the expression of the mind must be fully manifested, Richard is unable to move normally. While others walk on the floor, he must walk on the ceiling; while others run, he must crawl slowly; and while others jump, he must squat down to the ground. And that's not even counting the fact that the rules can change randomly without any warning, which makes him laugh bitterly through his tears.

"Oh, look, he's falling normally! Wait— ah, and now it's gone…"

—