Though he knew there’d be an added layer of complexity, Uriel found it simple enough.

His mind ordered his body to take a step forward, and another, and then another, but then—

’I can’t move.’

He was frozen in front of the portal.

The first thing he did was try to feel the aether in the air, but his shock deepened when he realised he couldn’t feel his own aether anymore, only that in the air.

And though he could feel the energy in the air, since he couldn’t feel or control his cores anymore, he couldn’t control it.

He tried to use mind resonance to control the aether in the air, but it simply...did not work.

He tried using his talents next, then moved on to his star rings and even deeper to his uniquenesses. But nothing worked.

’The only thing that I still have is my mind and my basic senses. Assuming this trial is something I can complete in the first place, then I’d only need those things in the first place.’

He paused for a second. ’I also have my Will intact.’

His gaze flickered, and he peered into the fabrics of the world, gazing at its laws and currents of primordial energy.

He decided to do a test.

SHOO!

His Will extended past his body, harmonising with a wisp of primordial energy, then slowly guiding it towards his body using his own Will and the assortment of wills from his star rings.

The wisp of energy reached his body of silk, entering the folds of his frame, but then...it simply shattered.

Uriel’s own body, without his order, decided to shatter the wisp of energy to dust and expunge it almost instantly, as if it refused any and all things.

Seeing this, Uriel nodded.

’I see. So the issue is not the world, but my body itself.’

After he’d witnessed the primordial dance, Uriel’s eyes had gained the ability to see fabrics, while his very existence had gained the ability to interact with them.

He didn’t know it yet, but no mortal was supposed to be able to manipulate the fabrics as he so often did. It was the sign of untold genius.

In the face of that, he decided to try something.

’Let’s see. If I...’

Uriel’s eyes flickered, and the fabrics of the world vanished, his sight returning to the sprawling plain and the large portal in front of him.

Uriel focused, then entirely honed in on his own body, feeling every inch of it. In his current state, he was nothing but silk wrapped around endless primordial energy, and yet, he felt it all nonetheless.

He felt every filament of silk wrapping around him to forge his flesh, every stream of primordial energy that flowed to form his blood, and every pillar of dark ash that stood tall to form his bones, born from the remains of his past body.

He felt it all. As deeply as he could.

And then he went past it and looked deeper.

SHOOO!

His eyes and very senses gazed at the...fabrics of his body, looking at the very makeup, form, and foundation of his existence and life.

And it was at that moment that something within him, which he’d been neglecting, roared to life, overflowing him with insight and power.

His Pioneer Path.

BANG!

It was like an infinite universe had opened to Uriel.

An infinite universe within himself.

Uriel found himself falling across a world of endless stars of runes, cosmic seas of sigils, and multicoloured skies of laws and truths.

He heard a song, one of pure harmony and balance, one that bound man and world as one and pushed them into an unending dance of smooth flows and transitions.

The song roared with thundering drums, reflected by soft and muted harps and violins that filled the silence between each percussion.

An angelic voice, deep and regal—that of heaven itself, of the Gods—reverberated across the cosmic expanse, filling Uriel’s ears and stirring his heart.

’I’m...such an idiot.’

He could feel it. No, he could see it.

His Pioneer Path spoke of the body’s ten layers, of the three pillars and seven aspects—according to his path, each evolution he underwent would mutate one of these layers and grant him supremacy over it.

But for some reason, he’d completely abandoned and neglected that path.

At the time, his understanding of magic and the world was shallow, so he’d assumed it to be worthless in the grand scheme of things.

What would understanding the layers of the body be in the face of magic? Of his Sparks?

But it was a foolish thought. The Uriel of today knew better. The Uriel of today understood the connection that bound all things as one.

As he stood, Uriel made no difference between his magic, martial arts, aether control, elements, and evolutions—it was just one whole, stabilised by his star rings. And soon, his sparks would complete that.

But this...this discovery, these truths of his path...they changed everything.

They opened a path even more unrivaled than the one he’d opened with Project Magia. It pushed him beyond heaven and into the endless possibilities of the void.

’...’

Uriel couldn’t help but laugh. He could almost feel the anger of his Pioneer Path’s spirit. He could feel its bubbling wrath and discontent.

This was just the first step of its mysteries, and yet it opened up so much for him. What would lie beyond that, then? 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

If he’d had this breakthrough back in the settlement, he’d have formed his seven cores all at once back then, he’d have gained runic sight at the same time, and would have forged his Will that same instant.

It would’ve been smooth sailing until here. And yet, that was just the first step of the path.

’I’m sorry. I’m sorry. Calm down.’

Uriel didn’t really find it surprising that his Pioneer Path had a sentient spirit. If his sparks could, then why not his path?

’I know you now. And I won’t ever let you go.’

These words echoed across the spirit and seemed to calm it down. Feeling his sincerity, its anger faded, and it opened the last of its gates to him.

It had been subtly begging for him to pay attention to it for so long—now that he was here, it’d show him.

WHOOOSH!

Uriel blinked, and he was back in his body. But now, he felt his eyes had evolved again. Not only could he see the fabrics of the world in even grander depth, but now he could see the fabrics of the body, its layers.

His senses sank across his body, going past one, then a second, and stopping at the third fabric layer of the body. But just as it was about to settle there, he felt his senses regress, then regress a step further.

He’d only undergone two evolutions and was thus at his limit at the second fabric.

’The first fabric is the...Physical Fabric Layer, and it’s bound to my Terracrule Evolution.’

A click! echoed across his mind, and suddenly, Uriel became aware of every physical manifestation of his form—from the weight of his body, the frequency of his mind’s spiritual waves, to the levels of purity of aether he took in and expunged, to even the exact amount of force he could exert at any given moment in time.

And it stood as nothing but the tip of the iceberg.

Because right after he gained lordship over the first layer...

’The second fabric is the Body Fabric Layer, it’s linked to my Void-Bound Chaos Blood Hound Evolution.’

...he gained lordship over the second layer, and it harmonised almost instantly with the first, causing a maddening cascade.

[Your Talents are Evolving!]