The class of fourteen and their teacher had finally found a singular point they could rest, and it was one that even they struggled to comprehend initially.

  The nature of their existence allowed them to exist and perceive all dimensions, meaning they didn’t need to limit themselves to the three commonly known ones.

  That’s how their wings were able to stretch out to the outer boundaries of the universe. They were free to reach beyond the three axes.

  The place the class had chosen was in one of the higher and relatively uneventful dimensions, the seventh. A seemingly empty white space.

  They chose this place because being present in the third dimension was too tedious as they had to physically shift their near omnipresent forms across the limited space within which all things in the universe existed, which led to many high-speed collisions.

  Ever since they had awoken, Fogo, their scout, had broken several planets and shattered a few stars.

  They also couldn’t go into dimensions that were too far high because the mechanics of time and space were so erratic, it made it hard to exist at all.

  And so, the seventh dimension was in the Goldilocks zone for them.

  The class was now experimenting to see just what their new bodies could do under the patient guidance of Miss Thabit.

  Their newfound strength and speed were easy enough to understand, something Fogo had demonstrated they had plenty of and so they tested the stranger parts of themselves, like how they could perceive everything across the universe, including themselves.

  Yana stared at himself. while he felt a little dizzy at first, but he quickly got used to it.

  It was also hard to say how tall any of them were since they were in a place where meters were absolute so, as they had done before, they sent Fogo down to the third dimension, where he landed on a planet as gently as he could, destroying only half of its barren rocky surface.

  There, he looked himself over and nodded.

  [Nine thousand meters.] Fogo reported making the entire class gasp.

  [Also, I think I'm actually smaller down here since my form is being compressed, so keep that in mind.]

  Next came their halos.

  Grand crowns of light that floated around their heads.

  Strangely enough, Yana felt as though it was his true centre of being, but he couldn’t quite figure out why, a query that resonated in the others.

  [Should I try and take mine off?] Fogo asked, making everyone’s throats tighten, including his own.

  [Let's... not do that… yet, at least.] Kōritsu swallowed.

  Thabit was next.

  She gathered some of the reddish gold energy that had a source which they couldn’t see but feel.

  It came from the heart of all things.

  Kiln’s heart.

  She instinctively knew that it was the very essence of creation, and so, after closing her eyes, she willed it to become an apple.

  Well, that’s what she wanted by all that appeared was a vaguely spherical grey blob.

  [Damn… your imagination must suck, ma’am.] Fogo scoffed, only for Nazh to lightly smack the back of his head, something they all felt.

  [Don’t be mean!]

  [What was that for?] Fogo whined, although everyone could feel that he didn’t really mind.

  [Miss Thabit is trying her best and your comments aren’t helpful.]

  This exchange got a soft laugh from everyone because it was a common occurrence back on Earth.

  Nazh was always nagging people for one reason or another.

  She wasn’t even a prefect.

  She just liked bossing people around.

  But, while this scene may have brought feelings of warmth to most, it only reminded Yana of what was missing and everyone felt tears well in their eyes because of his sadness.

  They all turned to him, prompting him to messily wipe the tears away.

  [S-sorry.] He sniffled, and it was Kōritsu who patted his shoulder.

  [Look on the bright side. We know he’s out there somewhere. Turn your sadness into motivation and try to think of a way to reach him. We’ve already explored most of the higher dimensions, so maybe he’s in a lower one. Either way, you can’t sulk forever.] Kōritsu genuinely wanted Yana to feel better, although he also didn’t like being interrupted by a wave of sadness every other moment.

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  Yana nodded and Kōritsu gave him another pat on the shoulder before turning to the ethereal vein.

  [Alright, I guess we should all give it a shot. Let’s follow Ma’am’s lead and try and make some food.]

  Everyone nodded before gathering palmfuls of the primordial essence

  What followed was an unknown amount of time and countless failures.

  [RAAAAHHH! What even is this stupid stuff?] Fogo growled as he held a lump of greyish matter that was somehow both organic and metallic.

  [M- May I suggest that we call it Kilnessence?] Everyone turned to Vidente, who no longer had her glasses, not that she needed them anymore. She had a head of curly hair which was now a pale grey like most of her. She had a fairly long nose and short chin which made her face very pointy.

  Yana felt his heart melt at Vidente’s suggestion, which made him want to cry again, but he stopped before everyone turned their annoyed glares at him.

  He knew they weren’t really annoyed, but it was tiresome having to cry all the time.

  Yana himself barely understood why he was so emotional now.

  He barely ever cried back on earth but, thanks in part to Kōritsu’s words, he was determined to be just as steadfast.

  [I think that’s a wonderful name.] Thabit praised, and no one spoke a word in opposition.

  [Yeah, well this Kin essence stuff sucks!] Fogo threw his lump of matter into the expanse below.

  [I think we’ll just need to practice some more, but since that will take some time, how about just build things to fill our new home instead of trying to create matter from scratch?] Kōritsu suggested.

  [And we have a whole universe of resources.] Vidente nodded.

  [But don’t take too much. Only what we need.] Miss Thabit cautioned as he students all stood ready to descend to the third dimension.

  Yana stood alongside them.

  In order to find his friend, he was going to need a space where he could gather knowledge, resources and tools.

  And with that in mind, they set off.

  .

  ..

  What would you call a gargantuan structure that floated in a vast white space?

  A city held atop monolithic pillars of marble and lined with carvings so precisely intricate, they seemed impossible. Each white marble slab was lined with gold, silver and every precious gem in existence.

  Above this ornate base stood a tower that reached up and out into the upper limits of the expanse, the Diamond Needle.

  Yana wasn’t sure how long it had taken them to build this place.

  What he knew for certain was that it was a lot of work.

  They carved entire planets open as they harvested the resources they wanted, and getting those three-dimensional objects to their new home would have been impossible if it wasn’t for Kilnessence which allowed them to open gateways between dimensions.

  It was Vidente who was actively figuring out the near limitless potential of Kilnessence and she was now located in her laboratory on the northern edge of the city they had decided to call the Hereafter.

  She supposed that the reason they couldn’t use Kilnessence to create stuff on their own was because they didn’t fully understand the innermost machinations of existence.

  She supported Yana in his quest to find Kiln because it seemed as though he was in a place where they’d most likely get answers.

  And so, Yana spent the time that followed in his chamber beneath the mostly empty streets of the Hereafter, where he studied Vidente’s findings while meditating deeply, searching the very edges of existence for clues.

  Thabit continued her role as teacher and counsel for her students in the first floor of the Diamond Needle, atop which stood Fogo, who scanned the universe over and over for anything of note.

  Kōritsu often led the rest of the class into the third dimension, where they gathered resources and knowledge.

  None of them needed to eat or sleep, so it was all mostly to keep themselves occupied since they were the only sentient beings in existence.

  [Haa…] Yana sighed as he found nothing, even beyond the boundary of all that existed, in the void where only the infinite expanse of space remained.

  Things were depressingly empty over there, so he returned to his body where he turned, instead, inwards.

  He looked within himself for clues and, although it had been learnt that, coursing within them was Kilnessence, there was not much else he could discern at a glance because of how out of reach the truth seemed to always be.

  His constant running into dead ends led to Yana eventually getting onto his knees and clasping his hands as he lowered his head.

  [Kiln…] He softly whispered, but his voice clearly reached the edges of the seventh dimension.

  [Please… say something… tell me that you’re still there.]

  Miss Thabit and all of Yana’s classmates heard his plea, and they too could see Kiln as he slept in that distant place

  Yana’s plead. His prayer would go on to become a daily occurrence as his classmate went about completing their tasks.

  .

  ..

  Kōritsu had led four of his classmates, clad in gowns of light, across the cosmos a few times and, unlike Fogo, they didn’t break everything they came across simply because they knew how to slow down.

  It was this group that eventually discovered something that sent the feeling of awe into all the others.

  Floating in pools of hot water and near the still hot ocean floor of a fairly sized planet were tiny microbes that multiplied near exponentially.

  [Guys…] Kōritsu called out while keeping a safe distance from the infant world.

  The others all hurried down and watched as life struggled through the steadily cooling waters.

  [My goodness…]

  [Wow… is that…?]

  [Genesis…]

  Such things were said, and each amazed word seemingly reached the life below, making it push and shove even more furiously as it grew in number and form.

  Kōritsu was beyond amazed.

  He couldn’t wait to see what new forms this version of life would take and this reminded him of the ant farm his father had once gotten for him.

  An ant farm he destroyed.

  Kōritsu quickly shook those memories aside but Miss Thabit had already felt that which came before the pause.

  While they couldn’t strictly read each other’s minds, as beings that weren’t bound to their own forms and permeated throughout existence, their emotions and voices clearly reached others and it seemed as though Thabit had been the only one who felt the odd emotion amidst all the awe and wonder.

  She gave Kōritsu a questioning smile and he replied with a polite one, making her nod before she returned her gaze to the world below as life burgeoned.

  The oceans vibrated with activity as the planet’s surface continued to cool, giving way for a thick atmosphere to form.

  Some of the more complex life forms began to cling to the rocks outside the water and formed great planes of dense. Spongey life spread across the planet’s surface, breathing carbon dioxide in and letting out oxygen, which went on to bolster the atmosphere.

  Some of the life began to crawl across the greenish, spongey surface but just as this new life began to grow its first legs, Fogo noticed something approaching the planet’s star system.

  [Uh-oh.]

  Everyone followed Fogo’s gaze and they all watched with horror as the star system drifted towards a gas cloud that was lined with asteroids and broken planets.

  [Someone, please do something quickly!] Nozh cried and it was Fogo who acted first, standing in front of the cloud and manifesting his presence but before he could destroy the gas cloud, Kōritsu shoved him to the side.

  [Do not interfere!] He snapped at a now infuriated Fogo.

  [Why not? They are going to die!]

  [That is the natural course.]