After drinking the potion, Odys suddenly felt as though he had been thrown into the depths of the cosmos, drifting farther and farther from the Real World.
Odys looked around. There was nothing anywhere, and an unprecedented helplessness filled him.
Just then, a cluster of brilliant colors appeared in the distance before him.
Odys seemed to snap awake. He remembered that he was advancing and instantly found himself again.
He fixed his eyes on that brilliant glow and "ran" toward it with all his strength.
He had no idea whether his legs were moving, but he was certain he was rapidly closing in on the colors.
Only a few seconds passed before the colors were right in front of him. His surroundings changed dramatically. Green vortexes formed, then quickly settled into stretches of grassland.
The dazzling light ahead split into two parts: the Multicolored Star-Eyed Beast's neck and the starry sky above.
Odys noticed starlight flowing over his hands and body. Gradually, it all sank into him.
He took a deep breath. The advancement had succeeded.
He glanced at the Multicolored Star-Eyed Beast, which had kept its head raised toward the stars, and suddenly understood the ritual's purpose.
Advancing to Astronomer had altered Odys's spirit body, but the process could easily leave his consciousness lost in an unknown space.
At that point, the Multicolored Star-Eyed Beast's neck became a landmark guiding him back to himself.
Another thought followed: this advancement had gone smoothly—too smoothly for an advancement to Sequence 5.
But he soon understood. Of all his advancements so far, he had been in the best condition for this one. That had helped enormously.
Odys drew in his spirituality as he jumped down from the Multicolored Star-Eyed Beast's back.
The moment his feet touched the ground, the Hidden Sage's voice