Chapter 56

Kiyotaka silently gazed at the skeleton's glowing blue eyes in the deep darkness and spoke in his mind.

'You say you will assist me. Well, I would like to know how.'

There was a moment of silence before the man spoke.

'You want to open that door... I will tell you its secrets.'

Kiyotaka remained cautious as he spoke.

'Tell me'

There was another, longer moment of silence before the man's voice echoed in his mind.

'My soul's power is waning... I will fall asleep again... perhaps for years... so I will tell you everything... and I hope you will release me when you reach that level of strength... you are weak right now... but with your potential, that shouldn't be a problem.'

The man's voice seemed to get weaker and weaker as he spoke.

'That door is called the Door of Soul... to open it, one must pour his soul, his essence of life, into the attack... not in a literal sense... you just have to give your all... behind those doors... you... will... find... what you need.'

The skeleton's eyes dimmed, and the darkness in the chamber returned to the corner, now seemingly even weaker than it had been before Kiyotaka awakened the skeleton. Soon, there was nothing but silence.

Kiyotaka analyzed what had just transpired and wondered about the man's identity. To survive for so many years, even when gods themselves had perished, even if it was in this form... what an astonishing feat.

Turning his gaze away, he looked towards where the imposing Door stood.

---

Kiyotaka stood before the Door of Soul, its ancient mechanisms a barrier between him and the unknown. The skeleton's words echoed in his mind, urging him to channel his deepest desires, his essence of life, into the attack.

What did his soul desire? What was it that he had been fighting for all this time?

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, delving into his inner thoughts. His journey had been fraught with peril, from the blood fusion to the battles against formidable foes. Each step had been a struggle for survival, a fight against the chains that sought to bind him. As he thought about it, one desire rose above all others.

Freedom.

Freedom had always been his guiding star, his ultimate goal. The [Seeker of Freedom] attribute pulsed within him, a testament to his unyielding spirit. He sought freedom from the constraints of his current existence, from the limitations imposed by his still unawakened state. He craved the liberty to explore his potential, to shape his destiny without the shadows of the past dictating his every move.

His thoughts drifted back to his time in the White Room, a place that had tried to strip him of his humanity, confining him to a life of cold calculation and endless training. Even then, he had yearned to break free, to escape the suffocating grip of that place and find his own way in the world. It was this desire that had driven him, that had kept the flicker of hope alive in the darkest of times.

Here, in the Dream Realm, the struggle for freedom had taken on new dimensions. He sought to be free from the isolation that kept him from forming genuine connections with others, free from the loneliness that gnawed at his soul. His encounters with the cohort and other beings had only reinforced his determination to break these invisible chains.

Freedom meant more than just physical liberation; it was about breaking the metaphysical chains that held him back. It was the power to forge his own path, to master the forces within him, to transcend the boundaries of what was known and venture into the realms of the extraordinary.

Kiyotaka's thoughts turned to his experiences: the battles, the sacrifices, the moments of sheer willpower that had kept him going. All of it had been in pursuit of one thing: the freedom to become his true self. The flames of his essence, the crimson fire that symbolized his potential, were not just tools of destruction—they were the embodiment of his will to be free.

Be it his desire to become the strongest or his desire to have emotions and live like a human being among his friends... all of it was coming from one crucial desire.

The desire to be free.

He opened his eyes, the determination in them burning as brightly as the flames he now summoned. The crimson fire enveloped him, a manifestation of his deepest desire, his soul's essence. As the fire roared to life, he felt an overwhelming sense of purpose. This was not just an attack; it was his declaration of intent, his vow to break through any barrier that stood in his way.

Steeling himself, Kiyotaka unleashed the full force of his crimson fire upon the Door of Soul. Every ounce of his being, every fragment of his essence, was poured into the flames. The door absorbed the energy, the runes glowing brightly as they drank in the power of his soul's deepest desire.

For a moment, everything was bathed in a blinding red light. When it faded, the door stood ajar, its ancient mechanisms finally yielding to the power of Kiyotaka's soul. He stepped forward, his heart pounding with a mix of anticipation and determination, and pushed the door open.

At the top of the door, one solitary rune could be seen:

Free.

---

As Kiyotaka stepped inside, he was met with nothing.

Pure darkness.

There was just this void.

As he questioned whether or not the door functioned, a red glow appeared in the distance.

Feeling drawn to it, he stepped closer. Walking through the void, he finally reached the source of the strange, enigmatic red light. As he got closer, the red light seemed to glow more and fully enveloped the void. Looking at it, he couldn't help but feel perplexed.

The source of the light was a simple-looking red orb. He instinctively reached out for it and clutched it in his palm. The orb shattered into seemingly a million pieces and shot towards his body, easily entering it. Confused, he decided to check his runes and saw a new attribute appear.

[Unbounded]

Suddenly, he was repelled from the void as his figure shot out of the room and the doors slammed shut, closing themselves. Flying out of the room, he collapsed to the ground and breathed in heavily. However, all his attention was not on the mysterious force that had exerted him but on something deeper within his soul.

One could see a hint of worry in his usual emotionless eyes. The usually calm and collected person felt shivers down his spine as he felt something he couldn't describe; it felt as if he was losing a part of himself.

He had lost connection to the Waking World.