Chapter 6: Entering The Lord’s Domain

The nature of the integration process was precisely why a civilization had to expand to other worlds before it gained access to the Lord’s Domain and the wider cosmos.

The larger the civilization, the more Lords it could produce and the greater the chances for Lords with truly high potential to emerge.

Cassian pushed those thoughts aside, took a deep breath, and closed his eyes, directing his consciousness toward the Lord Seed residing deep within his soul.​

The moment contact was established, the Lord Seed stirred.

​A pulse echoed through his body. Then another. Then another.

​It felt like a dormant heart awakening after an eons-long slumber.

​Energy began pouring from the seed. It moved neither violently nor explosively; instead, it seeped outward in countless invisible strands, gently reaching toward the surrounding atmosphere as though searching for something vital.

​The energy stretched farther and farther, probing the world around him.

​Then, it found what it was looking for.

​Click.

​Cassian couldn’t physically hear the sound, yet he felt it with absolute clarity. It was as though an unseen cosmic lock had finally slid into place.

​The moment that connection snapped shut, the energy flowing from the Lord Seed shifted.

A powerful resonance spread through his body.

​His vision blurred, as reality seemed to pull away. For a fraction of a second, Cassian felt himself rise above his room. Above the building. Above the city. Above the planet itself.

​His perspective expanded at an impossible rate. In an instant, he was looking upon the grand expanse of the Astral Dominion.

​Countless worlds hung suspended in the darkness of space, while glittering trade routes connected distant star systems. Massive orbital structures drifted around remote planets, and fleets traveled between worlds like streams of liquid light.

Trillions upon trillions of lives existed beneath his gaze.

​An interplanetary civilization spanning hundreds of worlds unfolded before his eyes. He wasn’t observing it from a single location; rather, it felt as though he was experiencing the Astral Dominion itself.

​Every world. Every star. Every connection. All at once.

​Then, just as quickly as it had appeared, the grand vision vanished.

​Cassian found himself back in his quiet room.

​The entire experience had lasted less than a single second, yet he understood precisely what he had just witnessed.

​The Astral Dominion had acknowledged him. His Lord Seed had found its Anchor, establishing the permanent bond between Lord and civilization.

​Integration was complete.

​A moment later, familiar glowing notifications materialized before his eyes:

​[Integration Successful.]

​[Anchor Established: Astral Dominion.]ℯℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

​[Lord Status Verified.]

​[Access to the Lord’s Domain Granted.]

​For the first time since returning from the future, Cassian was truly a Lord once more.

....

Cassian could feel the link with the Astral Dominion resting inside him. If he wanted to initiate a transfer, all he needed to do was trigger that connection using an action word.

​However, before he did that, he needed to store the starter package from the Association inside his Vault.

​’It would be embarrassing to transfer without the very supplies meant to help me establish my territory.’

​Cassian placed the package into his Vault, a personal pocket space he had regained access to immediately after completing his integration.

​With his supplies secured, it was finally time to transfer. All that remained was to choose a trigger word, a spoken command used to stimulate the Lord Seed whenever he wished to enter the Lord’s Domain.

​He recalled the word he had used in his previous life. Pausing for a second, he shook his head.

​’No. This is a new life, a new beginning. I can’t stay tied to the past. If I cling to who I was, how can I expect to change who I will become?’

​Discarding his old trigger word, a new command surged into his mind with absolute clarity.

​"Ascend."

​The moment the word left Cassian’s lips, his Lord Seed responded.

​A powerful pulse erupted from deep within his chest, instantly activating the connection established during his integration. Invisible energy surged along the link connecting him to the Lord’s Domain.

​The space around him distorted. The air trembled.

​Then, his Lord Seed pulled.

​It was not a physical force, but something far more profound, as though his very existence had been hooked by an unseen cosmic hand and drawn toward a distant realm.

​A localized gust exploded outward from where he stood. Papers scattered across the room, curtains fluttered violently, and loose items on the desk rattled from the sudden burst of wind.

​Then, Cassian vanished.

​There was no flash of light, no thunderous explosion. One moment he was standing in his room, and the next, he was gone.

​Yet for Cassian, the journey was far from instantaneous.

​The world stretched apart as space folded around him. Countless streams of radiant energy rushed past as he shot through a colossal transit corridor. Colors beyond mortal comprehension twisted and danced around his form.

​Star systems flickered into existence before disappearing an instant later, and galaxies flashed by like distant sparks. It felt as though he had been fired from a cosmic cannon, hurtling through the endless void at impossible speeds.

​Faster than sound.

​Faster than thought.

​Faster than light itself.

​Despite the sheer velocity, Cassian felt no physical discomfort. The Lord Seed formed a protective barrier, shielding his body from the overwhelming dimensional forces.

​To an outside observer, the entire transfer occurred in less than a blink. Within the tunnel, however, the sensation lingered just long enough for him to comprehend the vast cosmic distance being crossed.

​Then he saw it.

​A colossal gate of blinding light stood at the far end of the tunnel, expanding rapidly within his vision. Before he could fully process its immense size, he passed through the threshold.

​The transit tunnel shattered into countless fragments. Reality reformed around him.

​His feet touched solid ground. Fresh, unpolluted air filled his lungs.

​And for the first time in this life—

​Cassian Voss arrived in the Lord’s Domain.

....

A/N:Thank you for reading this far! Now that we’re done with the introductory Chapters, it’s time for some action. Please add the book to your library to receive notifications for future Chapters, and drop a Power Stone or two to show your support. Thanks again for reading!