The Middle DimensionâAsh quickly came to understandâwas called the Earth Plane.
Unlike the Lower Dimension, which consisted of worlds, galaxies, and celestial bodies, the Middle Dimension had none of that.
In fact, the void here couldnât be accessed safely even by Transcendents.
If someone cut open space and stepped into the void, they would die faster than they could process a thought.
This place was one massive supercontinent... or at least, that was the closest way Ash could describe it.
He couldnât spread his mana sense right now, but from what heâd seen so far, this realm was easily larger than multiple universes combined.
And aboveâhigh in the sky where the tunnel of colors spiraled upwardâthose were the heavens.
Exactly ninetyânine of them.
Passing the final one meant stepping into the Highest Dimension.
Ash knew all of this for one simple reason.
His incarnation had turned the very first heaven into nothing more than his playground.
One that was made of purely women.
This incarnation had been born as the Transâconceptual existence of Erosenceâthe embodiment of all things Love and Sex. Ash found this intriguing, considering Desire didnât have a single final path.
His own Desire went far beyond simple lust, which was why he could create so many things. But this incarnation... he was like a living, breathing aphrodisiac.
Shortly after his birth, he already knew how to speak and perform basic tasks. But the first thing he did wasnât search for power.
"Whereâs my heart?" Those were his first wordsâspoken in search of his true love.
The moment they left his lips; he began to wander.
Yesâhe wandered with no direction at all... until he came across his first signs of civilization.
Six years passed before he reached his first city. Ash was surprised to see architecture reminiscent of Earthâplaces like New York.
Towering skyscrapers reached the edge of the First Heaven. Stone roads shifted subtly with each step. Technology existed, but all of it was manaâpowered.
Cars fueled by mana stones sped faster than Cosmic Overlords and Transcendents.
It was impressive....
But with the embodiment of Erosence stepping into this place... it marked the beginning of the tale of Eternal Bonds.
The moment his bare feet touched the first glowing cobblestoneâ
Every woman in the street froze.
Heads turned.... eyes widened.... and breaths caught.
A merchantâs daughter dropped a tray of manaâinfused tea. Glass shattered at her feet, but she didnât notice.
Her gaze locked onto himâpupils dilating, cheeks flushing, fingers trembling as she stepped forward.
A guardswoman in silver armor lowered her spear midâpatrol. Her hand shook as the weapon slipped from her grasp.
She staredâlips parting, armor suddenly too tight, too confining.
It wasnât just them.
Every womanâwhether alone or with someoneâstopped and stared at the young man who had just entered the City of Vyke.
It wasnât lustâat least not only lust.
It was recognition.
As though every woman in Vyke had spent her entire life waiting for him to arrive.
At the time current moment, he was merely a Cosmic Overlord, which was nothing special as the First Heaven was filled with them along with Transcendents.
Yet he was Erosence....the trans-conceptual existence of Love and Sex. Far stronger than normal Transcendents and leagues beyond Cosmic Overlords.
In a sense he was even closer to stepping beyond the Transcendent rank than most people present.
And in a realm where time had long lost meaning, where desire was as natural as breathâhis presence was inevitable.
And like moths drawn to a flame.... they came to him.
At first, only a few women offered to show him around. But as days passed, things intensified.
Women after women began to throw themselves at him.... in the open and without any shame.
He did not chase them.
He did not seduce.
He simply... accepted. Every woman who came to him left with him etched into every fiber of her existence.
And each time, they felt more completeâas though their purpose had finally been found. But even after a decade of being in the City of Vyke.... he still asked himself one question.
"Whereâs my heart?"
Ash was honestly tired of hearing it.
He couldnât understand how this incarnation was the one who had come closest to the goal every incarnation sought. Even after ten years, the man never once tried to gain power.
No, it simply flowed to him...
Every woman who loved him or slept with him gave him pieces of their comprehensionâconcepts, talents, insights. Yet he never trained.
Never tried to break through to Transcendent.
He stood atop the tallest tower in Vyke, looking down with perfect clarity.
The devotion below was absolute.... Every street was filled with women who belonged to him.
But none were his heart.
So, he moved on.
For ten thousand years, he traveled the First Heaven of the Earth Plane in search for his love.
He went from city to city, domain to domain.... He spread endless love, pleasure, and harmony. With each stop, the number of women who adored him grew. And so did the number of enemies.
But enemies never lasted long.
For how could any threat reach him when countless women would slaughter anything that dared to harm their love?
And all the while his enemies died....
He never stopped searching.
"Whereâs my heart?" he would whisper into the night...
And the heavens above never answered.
Until one dayâafter ten thousand yearsâhe stepped into a small cafĂ© in the floating city of Celestar. The cafĂ© was modestâwooden tables, mana-lamps casting warm amber light, the scent of fresh-brewed flower tea drifting through open windows.
It was a normal day in a city that was his in all but name.
But this day was anything but ânormal.â
BaDump!
The moment he entered, his heart pounded wildly.
In the corner sat a woman unlike any other.
She had long hair the color of midnight threaded with silver. Skin like polished pearls, eyes that held every color and none at all.
The moment their gazes metâ
Time stopped.
Not metaphorically.
Literally.
The tea in her cup froze mid-ripple. The steam hung motionless. The baristaâs hand paused above the counter.
BADUMP!
In that moment, both of their hearts beat in perfect sync. It was as if the world fell away until only the two of them remained. It was truly love at first sight.... but it was far deeper than that.
It was a recognition of something flowing through both of their eyes.
She stoodâher black dress flowed around her like shadowsâand crossed the room.
He did not move.
She stopped inches awayâclose enough for him to smell the faint scent of roses that clung to her.
"Iâve been waiting," she saidâvoice like distant bells.
He tilted his head.
"Youâre... my heart."
She smiledâsmall, knowing.
"And youâre mine."