The moment Elek's fingers touched the book Entity, a powerful wave of energy shot through his system into his mind and his senses felt brightened, more aware. He turned the book's orange cover, not really feeling how it felt but still understood the power it held.

The words on the pages did not seem like words at all. Rather, information floated in his thoughts and that transcended normal understanding, everything reaching him in a manner beyond communication. He was now unaware of the enormous Banyan tree beneath which he sat, one that Audrey loved dearly, the one largest after Paliv Verasel. The warm grass and the gentle breeze left his sensations, but he somehow still felt it.

At that moment, as he processed the information, he felt something much greater than curiosity. He didn't want to learn about something, but rather... he was at peace with information. The feeling was information but it couldn't be expressed in terms of information, or anything. A feeling of Time being stretched to infinity where the feeling was but a single moment. An eternal moment.

He closed the book. He had finished 'reading' it, comprehending it. He looked up at the sky and realised bare minutes had passed.

His movements became unconscious but he was aware of it. He stood up and made his way to the training centre, but the blur of time made it seem as if he suddenly stood there. Those little holes in the wall let the space around him breathe and Elek could feel the molecules buzzing around him, full of energy. He made his way through that atmosphere of the large room, though he felt nothing physical. He was like a magnetic substance attracted to the magnet, making his way to that on a set field line. Not necessary the line he walked on, but perhaps the line of life.

Before long his small and delicate hand rested on that lucid yellow stone, the light from it more powerful than any source he had seen. He remembered how it wasn't quite as bright as it is now, all those years when he first trained here with his friends. Time stopped and he was transported to a different dimension, although his physical body remained on Earth.

He witnessed it all, finally. The story of the Shadows of nature. He had only known Eleanor's story and his mother's death, and with all the information he gained - all at once it entered his mind - he was... lost. He hovered in the dimension and getting all his attention he focused on his surroundings. He was in it, but it itself was inside it... like a paradoxical pocket.

He concentrated on what the dimension was made of and saw that it was made of... nothing. Or at least nothing physical. An incomprehensible element. And yet he could understand its constitution, though that shouldn't be possible only with his ability...

Oh. Of course, he thought. I'm using my Yuran.

After that, he rather easily found his exit point since he was surrounded by no disturbance and came to Earth immediately. However, his thoughts were still lost, pondering upon the story he witnessed.

No, on the story he remembered.

His hands began to sink into the stone. Elek realised he could walk through it. He closed his eyes, studying the nature of the other side to understand what place it really was.

The Land of Grace. It welcomed him.

As he stepped through he was overwhelmed with assuage and silence, the kind that immediately put him at peace. The warm sunlight guided the flow of the gentle breeze, though the drops of a nearby waterfall balanced the heat with its clouds creating a pleasant atmosphere with the comforting land and the sky open to infinite possibilities making him feel... home. At the right place, even more so than the headquarters.

"Aqdas," Elek said on instinct and he didn't feel like a physical Shadow, but he soon returned to his present self. "Um... How do I know your name?"

"Hello, Elek. Even though I was expecting you, your visit surprised me."

Just communicating with the spirit of the land made him feel lost, and Elek soon realised the land did not expect him for a long time... it was wishing for him to come. That's why the land welcomed him and was yet surprised at his visit; he was always welcomed, and that made Elek happy. He always wanted to go to the Land of Grace.

"Why am I here?" Elek's thought reverberated across the atmosphere as pure information.

"I... do not know."

Such uncertainty. A dark cloud passed over Elek, and it seemed as if the water had momentarily stopped, the air was silent and Elek once again hovered in the Shadow Dimension. In a flash, his surroundings changed and he found himself standing before the brilliant yellow stone, though now an aura of sorrow and nostalgia reverberated from it and its shine had decreased.

He felt it. Elek had formed a bond with the spirit. No, he relived it.

Elek took a deep breath and gently closed the book in his hand, walking back to Sylva Vita silently.

- - - - -

It was finally time. As the flames raged around him and his friends sat by his side with their sullen and dark auras, Elek let his body gradually turn into a colourless liquid.

I am sorry for leaving you all alone, he thought, but I have to. His eyes reached Jay's; the Shadow's eyes seemed empty, and yet they were so full of compassion and wisdom and... time.

Jay looked at Elek and the young man looked surprised. Jay nodded slowly, wearing a small smile, letting his silent aura comfort the leaving Shadow. Elek realised that Jay was making all the demons around them fall unconscious in mere seconds, giving Elek his last moment on Earth.

Elek took a deep breath, wearing the sincerest smile he had ever worn, full of gratitude and joy.

"Smile."

Elek closed his eyes and slipped within the Earth. His abstract being fell into the abyss of Earth - darkness surrounded it while the sound of its existence as Elek engulfed him, protecting him from the impact - and he entered the Shadow Dimension.

"Hello, Vlad."

Silence. Elek wondered if he was speaking to the present Vlad, or if that being was from another time.

"It is getting hard."

"I know, Vlad. You have endured more than anyone. Your patience seems limitless, and you are brave. Only a little longer now."

"I am not brave."

"Hearth thinks you are."

The quietude was absolute and fragile.

"You will be gone soon."

"I'll be gone soon. Will I be free soon?"

"Yes. And soon after that, you'll return home."

Vlad found comfort in that.

"Thank you, Shadow of Grace. I am sorry for taking you before your time was up."

"It is alright, Vlad. You didn't take me before. I understand I knew too much. By being there I would only make things harder, perhaps prevent the war. I understand it was necessary."

Despite being in that dimension, despite being in that form, Elek felt deeply for his friend.

Time and Truth... such old friends.

"Hearth is brave, too."

Elek's aura produced a wave of gratitude, and Vlad found comfort in that.

"Shadow of Grace, your time is not over. You will eventually return to Earth, only to go back to your home and your original form. That is why you are here. Until that time comes, stay here and watch over your friends. The Shadow of Nature has returned to the essence of Nature, but it also watches them. It is everywhere, and it is here."

The Shadow's aura smiled. The energy of an old friend was near him and Elek remembered their moments together from the distant past.

In the smallest moment of time, the Shadow was overwhelmed with all emotions, as if experiencing his lifetimes at once. Then...

He let go.

The surroundings blurred until everything was first black and chaotic, then nothing. The Shadow of Grace found itself once again in that recondite dimension. It was present as a soul, but it sensed Elek's body beside it. The vessel was limp, although it had no wound anymore and its yellow eyes burned as the fire it left.

The Shadow then noticed a second body, similar to the first, only it was taller, its hair was neater, and its eyes were a darker yellow.

Zindel.

"What now?" Aqdas's thought reverberated softly. Elek hovered in the Shadow Dimension, his very being existing as an abstract concept.

"Vlad told me I will meet them again. I suppose I'm waiting for that moment."

"You can visit whenever you want. You can go wherever and whenever you want. There is no constraint of time or space here. You're free."

"And what about her? How is she?"

Everything was silent, but Aqdas's moment of hesitation brought a sense of ominous silence to the lifeless being.

"To put it simply, she is in trouble."

Fear made its way through into the shadow, but it kept calm and tried to make sense of all the information it already had.

"Why did Elara come down? To Earth? After her previous life as Eleanor in another world, she was free to be in... higher planes of existence. Why did she come to the Land of Earth?"

"I am not sure. I can only speculate."

The silence that followed only intensified the shadow's worries.

"I always wished you wouldn't be alone in all your struggles on Earth. Solitude is important, but being in a living vessel you could be lonely. Perhaps that's why she was there for you both times, she just came. I am not sure why.

"Her future existence influenced her past and with her past, she made a choice about her future. It is almost like a loop, but not quite.

"In the Shadow Dimension, when Zindel was with Vlad, Elara's influence had already marked its soul as there was no concept of time. No past, nor present, nor future; only all of the shadow's information. If you compare that moment in time with what was going back in reality, then you come to Eleanor.

"Eleanor had no relationship with Zindel. She was a simple girl who did the best she could with her time and as a result, her soul's energy... lightened, you could say, which is why she floated to a place above reality. When her soul came there, it learned of Zindel's story and that alone, and it realised it needed to return to Earth during a certain time for two reasons: Not doing so would cause a paradox, and it genuinely wanted to help the Shadow of Grace in whatever way it could. Thus it came down as Elara."

The silence that followed gave the shadow space for its thoughts. Glimpses of Eleanor's story ran through its head, followed by interactions it had with Elara as Elek. The conversations, the fun, the silence, the farewell...

If the shadow was in its vessel, it would surely smile at the memories. But Aqdas's thoughts brought it back to the matter at hand.

"However, telling her about our world was dangerous. She came for Zindel only because of her 'future' friendship with you, as Elek, and that almost destroyed her soul.

"But did she have to form a friendship with me? Did Zindel even need her?

"Because of her could he understand time. Otherwise, he never would've interacted with Vlad, and neither would you. Explaining this world to her sorted your own thoughts, your goals, and generally she seemed to be a comforting existence to you.

"Your curiosity is dangerous for reality. You are not curious as a true shadow as there is nothing to be curious of; you know everything. Being with Elara gave you a sense of... reality.

"You know how many times you've yielded unwanted results, as Elek."

"It's a given with experimentation."

"And you have a responsibility to the world as the Shadow of Grace. To be balanced. Hence, you wouldn't let anything else be compromised and you used your own energy."

"I only used the energy borrowed from the Earth, and in the process of using it I returned it. But I now understand that even that energy affects your soul. Otherwise, all existence would be meaningless. In that case, a soul does experience time?"

"As long as it is beneath the fabric of the Shadow Dimension.

"She didn't want your soul to suffer so much. Yes, she was born with a disease, but that was only a minute part of her death. Remember the day when your limb tore? The day you lost Elara? The Demonic Creature transferred all of your damage to her. In you, it is presented in a different way. As compared to hers, your soul is limitless, and that energy almost destroyed her.

"Your friends' energy is different from their past existences. Yours was the same, as Elek and as Zindel, because in a way Zindel's energy was recycled. It was strengthened by Elek's mothers' from which came Elek."

The silence that followed hardened the shadow's resolve, clarity filling his mental aura.

"Zindel, Eleanor, Elek and Elara. These four individuals are connected in very complicated and delicate manners, which is why each of them had to be very careful when it came to handling their energy. Elek especially so. Whether or not these connections were destined or choices is not easy to determine. It could be something else, too.

"Perhaps it's yours and her mutual curiosity. For reasons that are difficult to determine, she came to you, and you let her, and it really was required. But whether or not it ends well for her is something in your hands, and your hands alone."

"I know, and I can fix it now. I did all the wrong damage to myself, and she took it on herself. I can help her now. I know what to let go of."

The shadow felt the new presence, weak and dulcet. Eleanor's sphere of energy floated timidly in the emptiness. It was as if there was nothing, and Elek only sensed her because of his power. Lifeless, energyless, soulless...

Why exactly did that happen? She had descended to the Shadow Dimension, right? Wasn't she free?

Oh. It was the plane right before that dimension. There was one more step to be taken before she could attain freedom, but she used most of her energy to avoid it and go back down, just for him. She countered nature too, in a way. The work she did down there will take her to freedom if that energy is mended.

Energy can neither be created nor destroyed. But it can learn, and adjust the amount that needs to burn. Time burns out the soul the most, after all. Energy and Time must work together.

It went by her side, recognising the faint pulse.

"Nature wouldn't allow this, right?"

"Nature is your friend. You gave her comfort before her death, didn't you? She cares too much about you. Besides, she also believes in you."

The last line gave it immense comfort. Everything the Shadow of Grace had was infinite, everything other than its soul. That couldn't really be quantified, but there was a limit to it. Still, there was no question. It would do whatever was required to save her. It was still fairly abundant, and on that scale, a small amount was all he required to help its friend.

A soft stream of yellow glow surrounded him like a ring and disappeared momentarily after, becoming a part of the former human's soul.

"Elek... you gave up the life of your soul. You will never be able to return to the physical world in a vessel, anymore. You can explore but never interact again. 

"Even as the Shadow of Grace, you could slip into the physical dimension - or any other, for that matter - whenever you wished. Now that freedom for the physical is not there. It cannot heal with time."

"That's okay, I don't see why I would need to do that ever again. Besides, I can still influence, just like Nature does."

"Influence is a complex process. A chaotic process."

A smile like aura filled the area. "That's good." Then a pause, a wavering pause holding a hint of regret. 

"Still, there was much I had left to do." Elek's emotion moved softly, touching Aqdas, not wishing to disturb the fabric of the space he was in.

"You have the power of time."

Elek wasn't sure how to react.

"Your nature is too strong and hence, you were not able to control it on Earth. This is why Vlad thought you were interfering with its plans - and in a way, you were. That's why it couldn't let you stay down there. Your power is difficult to contain.

"Make wise choices. You have not yet returned to your true form. You can either wait like this - experience the passage of time as your friends do and help them with whatever it is you wish to do - or you can go back to being the true Shadow of Grace. You don't have to be here in the space between reality and Shadow Dimension; you can come back as your truth to the Land of Grace.

"Contain your power for a little longer. Stay ideal, until it is the time for action, or go back to freedom. The sooner you return, the better your soul's energy will heal. The better you can influence."

The shadow's choice was obvious to it, but it wasn't sure if it could actually do that. It wasn't sure it could control itself. After everything that had happened, it had begun to lose faith in itself.

Then perhaps time is what I need. This little duration is trivial in comparison to the vastness of oblivion.

"Okay. When you are ready, I will return here to take you back to the Land of Grace. Till then, I know you know what all has to be done."

Elek propagated a wave of positivity, and Aqdas left silently. Elek couldn't make out whether the spirit felt anything about his decision, but he decided that could be a question for later.

For now, he would wait. Anytime he felt the temptation of time, all he had to do was think about them.

Time is not a tool. Time is a friend.

----- -------

"Hello, Aqdas!" 

Audrey's tone hadn't been this excited in very long. All the feelings she felt when she visited the Land of Grace filled her mind. The calmness, the comfort, 

"Hello, Audrey. How are you?" The thought propagated as a mere whisper, no tone, yet it carried the weight of age.

"I'm good, thank you. And how about you?"

"I'm a wise tree older than time. There isn't really a state of being for me."

Audrey chuckled. She wondered how she didn't see its similarities to Elek before. Perhaps the strongest one was that both of them hid their nature from everyone around them.

"You miss him quite a lot, don't you? Your friends too?"

Audrey nodded slowly, sorrow flickering in her eyes. Oddly enough, a smile accompanied that sorrow.

"You should know that he's alright. Everything is sorted, for now. And about the story you just saw? Don't worry about it, he wanted you to know.

"He might be alone in that space, but I still know him. He's not truly alone, though; he's just waiting, reflecting."

Audrey didn't know what she expected, but that wasn't exactly it. She wished for the time to come soon, whenever they could meet Elek again, but she knew she had to be patient.

Audrey recalled the time he told her about Elara, the time she met her, the time he needed after Elara's death... She always knew Elara was very important to Elek, but only now could she see a glimpse of why.

Still, who was Elara? Was it a random fluctuation in the universe that led her to Elek? Did nature guide her soul? Was it something beyond chance or destiny? She wondered about everyone: herself, her friends, her parents... 

Why are we who we are? Who are we?

Audrey wondered if such questions would also be answered in the coming stories, but something told her they wouldn't.

Patience is key. Learn and understand.

That was Elek's way of doing things, more often than not. Learning had limits too, but she still had more to see. Perhaps not much, but there was more. 

A little longer is turning out to be longer than expected. But that is okay.