This time, the darkness didn't fall.

  It dissolved.

  Like ink diluting in warm water, the black gave way to something clearer without resistance or violence. Kein felt it coming before he saw it: a soft pressure on his consciousness, like a door yielding without the need to push.

  He reached the White Space smoothly.

  The white was different from the last time. More stable. More uniform. Without the gray smudges or overly white spots that had contaminated the second visit, without the overexposed edges that hurt to look at. It was the white from before, the one from the first dream, but with something new: a sense of vastness, as if the space had gained meters in every direction while he slept.

  He sat up effortlessly.

  Before him, Prisma was already there.

  The iridescent sphere floated at chest height, pulsing with that characteristic cadence between purples, blues, and magentas. Ripples of light flowed from its center to the edges like visible breathing.

  "Loading... loading..."

  The waves accelerated.

  "Status: stable. Energy: sufficient. Connection: established."

  Kein watched the sphere for a moment before speaking.

  "Did you receive the energy?"

  "Confirmed. Psycho-emotional energy received and stored."

  Kein blinked.

  "Psycho-emotional?"

  "Correct. Designation updated due to high probability percentage. Analysis completed with sufficient energy. Partial report available."

  'So it already has a name,' Kein thought. 'Good.'

  "Give me the full report."

  The sphere emitted a more intense pulse. Before Kein, the translucent interface appeared, floating in the white as always.

  [Stored Psycho-emotional Energy: 450 units.]

  [Reception rate: variable according to time, quality, and impact of the performance.]

  [Current passive consumption: 1 unit/hour. System in minimum mode.]

  Kein processed the number.

  '450 units,' he thought. 'The first time it was 49 hours —or units— for 5 minutes of acting. Rounding it off, ten units per minute.'

  He did the math: 45 minutes on stage tonight. At 10 units per minute, 450. It squared perfectly.

  'Consistent.'

  He liked it when systems were consistent.

  "Prisma. I want you to analyze your database and establish everything you know about this energy. Relationship with known systems. Origin. Behavior."

  The sphere vibrated.

  "Warning: database search partially blocked. Requires energy. Estimated cost: 20 units. Confirm?"

  Kein considered the question for exactly two seconds.

  "Confirm."

  "Processing..."

  The sphere's ripples churned in irregular patterns for several seconds. Then they stabilized, and the interface expanded, showing three blocks of information.

  "Loading... Loading..."

  *Beep* *Beep*

  [Analysis of Unknown Energy]

  [Hypothesis A (88%): Psycho-emotional Energy — theorized in NEXARA but never successfully isolated. Present in individuals of high social influence: top-tier political leaders, cultural figures of massive impact, military commanders of historical relevance. Main observable characteristic: ability to exalt presence, increase oratory impact, charisma, and leadership. Exact source: undetermined. Transfer mechanism: unknown. Predominant theory in NEXARA: unidirectional flow from the emitter to the receiver during states of concentrated attention, emotion, admiration, hate, among others. Lack of details due to absence of information.]

  [Hypothesis B (56%): Amplified Cognitive Energy — related to brain expansion technology documented in NEXARA. Second-generation implants managed to activate up to 80% of net brain capacity, generating measurable fields of influence in the immediate surroundings. This hypothesis suggests that the current body generates said energy organically during the state of acting.]

  Unauthorized tale usage: if you spot this story on Amazon, report the violation.

  [Hypothesis C (23%): Energy of unknown classification — no correlation with documented systems. Comparable in behavior to dark matter: detectable by effect, not by direct nature.]

  Kein read the three blocks without haste.

  Hypothesis A had logic. In NEXARA, there were people who simply "occupied" more space than others without implants to justify it. Kael had observed it for decades: certain targets had a presence that made them difficult to ignore even when they did nothing. He never found a technical explanation. Now he had one, or at least 88% of one.

  'Psycho-emotional energy,' he repeated mentally. 'From now on.'

  And then: '430 units remaining.'

  "You mentioned blocked functions," Kein said. "And a partially blocked database. Explain both."

  "Affirmative."

  The sphere pulsed.

  "Point one: Database. The NEXARA central server to which this system was connected is out of reach. However, complete local backups exist. The problem: the amount of stored files requires energy to unlock access. The system cannot open everything simultaneously due to the exhausting energy expenditure that would be required. Operating mode: specific access under direct request. Unlocked information remains permanently available at no additional cost."

  'Makes sense,' Kein thought. 'Like opening drawers one by one instead of lighting up the whole room at once.'

  "Point two: Functions. This system has capabilities designed to assist the host in waking mode and in acting contexts. Currently, three functions are unlockable."

  The interface changed. Three blocks appeared, ordered vertically.

  <—————————————————>

  [FUNCTION 1: ACTIVE INTERFACE]

  Description: In waking mode, the system can project visual information into the host's field of vision. Includes: analysis of the immediate environment, object trajectories, basic profiles of individuals in range, real-time query responses, data markers on relevant elements.

  Technical note: Activation requires progressive calibration. The host will experience slight visual overlay until full adaptation.

  Unlock cost: 200 units.

  <—————————————————>

  [FUNCTION 2: HYPERCONCENTRATION]

  Description: During acting contexts or high cognitive demand tasks, the system intervenes in the host's neurochemical processes to eliminate irrelevant stimuli from the perceptual field. Sounds, visual elements, and sensations unrelated to the active task are suppressed. The system can also generate complementary stimuli: images, sounds, or sensory references consistent with the context of the character being played, facilitating deep immersion.

  Technical note: Not recommended in active physical risk environments. Perceptual suppression reduces responsiveness to external threats.

  Unlock cost: 1,000 units.

  <—————————————————>

  [FUNCTION 3: VISUALIZATION]

  Description: Access to a holographic simulation environment within the host's space of consciousness. In this environment, the host can unlock and consult database information regarding interpretation techniques, acting methodologies, and profiles of documented actors. The system generates interactive simulations based on said profiles, allowing for practice, direct consultation, or free exploration. The environment is also a creative space: the host can build their own scenarios from unlocked material.

  Technical note: Generated profiles are reconstructions based on available data, not exact replications. Accuracy depends on the volume of information unlocked.

  Unlock cost: 3,000 units.

  <—————————————————>

  Kein read the three options slowly.

  The Active Interface was the most accessible. And although he could already predict trajectories, read postures, and analyze environments without technological assistance —decades of experience didn't disappear with a new body— there was something interesting about having that analysis projected directly into his visual field. Faster. Less cognitive load.

  Hyperconcentration was the one that mattered most to him for now. Suppressing stimuli during a performance or a task was exactly what he needed to train his new 24-year-old body.

  Visualization was expensive. But it was the one with the most long-term potential.

  '3,000 units,' he thought. 'Six and a half hours of quality acting.'

  It wasn't impossible. It just required time.

  Kein made the only decision that made sense right now.

  "Unlock Active Interface."

  "Processing... Cost: 200 units. Remaining energy: 230 units. Installation in progress."

  The sphere glowed for several seconds with greater intensity before returning to its usual cadence.

  "Installation complete. Active Interface available in waking mode starting from the next waking cycle. Initial calibration required."

  "Understood."

  The interface changed again. A panel appeared that Kein recognized: the system sheet. But with updated data.

  <—————————————————>

  Registered Name: Kael Drago Everlite Von Kaulix

  Current Name: Kein Adler

  Real Age: 117 / Physical Age: 24

  Former Profession: Assassin / Hitman

  Current Profession: Aspiring Actor

  <—————————————————>

  Physical Attributes:

  Strength: 0.8 / Stamina: 0.7 / Speed: 0.6 / Agility: 0.65

  <—————————————————>

  Skills:

  Acting: B

  Cognitive Analysis: A

  <—————————————————>

  Kein scanned the sheet.

  Acting had risen from C to B. That made sense. Two performances on two different nights, both with measurable impact on the audience. The system was recording progress.

  But something stopped him.

  "Cognitive Analysis," he said aloud. "I never asked you what that means."

  "Affirmative. Description available at no additional cost; information already unlocked."

  "Explain."

  "Cognitive Analysis: an inherent skill of the host Kein Adler, developed during psychology studies at the University of California, Los Angeles. It defines the ability to study the mental processes involved in how individuals perceive, learn, remember, and process information. In practical application: it allows for the analysis of the actions, motivations, behavioral patterns, and psychological structure of observed individuals."

  A brief pause.

  "Relevant note: the current host has not used this skill consciously because the original host —Kael— already possessed equivalent empirical experience developed during decades of direct observation. The skill exists, but it is underutilized. Its full activation requires a trigger: the study of the academic material available in the host's physical environment."

  'The books,' Kein thought. 'And the laptop.'

  "Probability of recovering the content studied by Kein Adler once the trigger is activated: 84%."

  Kein processed that in silence.

  It was a skill he already had, but in a cruder and more instinctive form. The academic version —structured, with terminology, with theoretical frameworks— could be useful in a different way. Not for surviving in the field. But for understanding characters in a script. To dissect fictional motivations with the same precision with which he had dissected real targets.

  'Interesting,' he thought, and it was the closest to enthusiasm he allowed himself.

  A new system. New variables. A completely different board than the one he had dominated for a century.

  He already had the first step.

  Now he needed the next ones.

  "Prisma. End session."

  "Connection suspended. Until the next cycle. Communication expected in waking mode for recalibration of new function."

  The sphere dimmed slowly. The white began to dissolve.

  And Kein, before the space completely disappeared, had a thought he neither analyzed nor discarded.

  He let it be.

  'This is going to be more complicated than I expected.'