''Of the steps to liberation, the first is declared to be complete detachment from all things which are non-eternal. The Creator made the senses outward-going: they go to the world of matter outside, not to the Spirit within. But a sage who sought immortality looked within himself and found his own Soul."
The Upanishads



* * *


The long narrow lane in front of him seemed endless. It was inadequately lit and one could see a couple of bums standing next to some cardboard boxes. The night made it look a lot like a spine-chilling stone corridor. Raymond hesitated for a few seconds, and then, as if he had completely removed any trace of fear, he began walking confidently towards the boulevard at the end of the lane. Everything was motionless, yet a remote unvarying hum reminded him that - even at night - the city thrived with life.
Raymond was not heading home, as most of the citizens did at that time of night. He himself didn't know exactly where he was heading. He just felt like taking a walk, and that's what he did. And no matter how far he walked, he still knew he had to go on. He had been walking for two hours when he noticed a strange looking man looking at an old Japanese sword in an antique-shop window. The man was wearing a long dark coat with a hood, which made him resemble a monk from the middle Ages. Raymond stared for a split second at the strange looking man, when a sudden sensation made him feel uncertain about the triteness of the situation. Shortly after, the man turned his head toward Raymond. However, Raymond couldn't distinguish any facial features, as all he could see under the dark hood was a black emptiness. In spite of this, the peculiar sensation that the man was looking straight at him caused his entire body to shiver...
The man then started walking towards him. Raymond couldn't move. While he stood still and watched the incoming stranger, he briefly wondered whether his attitude was a result of fear, or whether it was mere curiosity. The stranger stopped at about two meters in front of him. Raymond still couldn't see his face.
"What do you want from me?" asked Raymond using a rather uncertain tone.
"Me not want to harm you..." replied the stranger, with an unexpected foreign accent. "Me come here to bring you good news..."
"Good news? But I don't even know you..."
"Oh yes, you do! But you are unaware that you do..." said the stranger, and moved two steps closer.
"And what is that good news all about?..." inquired Raymond.
"Hmm... Your eyes tell me of a time of suffering that is yet to come... Much pain will you endure. Yet, I can see that the Light in your eyes is strong. You will outshine that state of suffering. Yes... That is my good news to you..."
"What state of suffering are you talking about?"
"You will find out for yourself when the time is right..." replied the stranger. After that, a gloomy light emerged from under his coat. And that was all Raymond could perceive, because a few seconds later, he was staring at the empty motionless coat that was now lying on the pave walk.
Raymond went back home...



* * *


Four months had passed since that weird encounter. Raymond had almost entirely forgotten about it. Heavy gray clouds blanketed the sky, as it had been raining for three days. He was walking on the street, and he suddenly stopped - he was in front of the antique-shop, as he immediately recognized the Japanese sword... He felt fascinated by the long, sharp object. He went into the shop and bought it...
When Raymond got out of the shop, he was carrying the sword in his left hand. Something made him look up towards the gray sky, where he noticed a strange thing happening: the cloud layer had an ever-widening hole in it. The hole was expanding rapidly, revealing the clear blue sky. And right in the centre of the opening, Raymond noticed a shining dot that seemed to grow bigger every second. The strangest thing about this - Raymond thought - was that the opening in the cloud stratum was located right above him. He found this rather comforting. The shining spot was quite large now. And it was getting closer and closer...
It was a sphere! But more importantly, it was heading directly towards him. Raymond started running, but as the sphere got closer to the ground, it changed its trajectory so that it could follow him. Eventually, the sphere caught him, and Raymond was absorbed inside it, as if the sphere was made of liquid. He was still holding the sword in his left hand...
Right after he was "captured", the sphere turned solid. It was still transparent, and now it felt cold to the touch. Yet, it didn't seem to have the same characteristics as before, as it had hardened instantly after Raymond got inside...
It took a few minutes for Raymond to calm down, but he eventually managed it and he then tried to approach the problem from a rational perspective. There was only one thing he could be certain of - he was trapped inside a sphere... The sphere was now standing motionless in the street. People started gathering around the strange object. Raymond could see them through the sphere, and by all accounts, they could see him too...
The first idea that struck him was finding a way to get out. Then he realized that he was still carrying the Japanese sword he had bought earlier. He tried to break the protective shell of the sphere by puncturing it. Surprisingly enough, when Raymond pulled back the sword, he could notice that the part of the blade that pierced the sphere was gone, as if someone or something had cut it off. Yet, he couldn't see any sign of that on the other side. It was as if the blade of the sword had been "swallowed" by the sphere. He then realized that anything could pass through the sphere, except him, and that the objects that did pass through never reached the exterior...
It was not long before he found out that the same thing happened with the objects that were supposed to puncture the surface of the sphere from the outside, as the people gathered there were trying to rescue him. The moment any object touched the sphere, it was absorbed inside the transparent surface, followed by a ripple that moved across the entire sphere, eventually vanishing... That made it impossible for anyone to even try and break the sphere apart.
An eerie thought in Raymond's mind was slowly developing into something factual and that concerned him more that the attempts to set him free... "What about the air?" he thought. "How am I going to breathe inside this thing?! What am I supposed to do when the air runs out?..." He could find no answer to that. Confronting an utter bewilderment, he realized he was inside a thing he couldn't accurately understand, and he was there for a reason he was unable to figure out by himself....



* * *


The crowd outside was increasing rapidly. In addition to the people that just happened to pass by at the time, Raymond could see the police, the media and even the army... But that was all happening in the world outside. Meanwhile, inside the sphere, it was getting hotter, and the air was getting meager. Raymond could only notice that he was unable to breathe normally. Thoughts were meandering inside his head. He was experiencing something unique... Pain. Anger. Comfort. Suffering. Weakness. Joy. Fear. Happiness. Supremacy. Love. Death.
He fell asleep...



* * *


When Raymond opened his eyes, he saw the crowd. He tried to inhale a mouthful of air, and surprisingly, he discovered that not only was the air breathable, but it also seemed to possess a certain freshness he had never experienced before. He was still inside the sphere, but he felt that there was nothing to worry about as far as the air was concerned...
It was as if the sphere took care of him. It was protecting him, nourishing him, providing him with everything he needed in order to live... He hadn't eaten during all this time, yet he wasn't feeling hungry at all... For a few moments, he felt safe...



* * *


Loneliness... The sensation that he was all alone overwhelmed him, although hundreds of people were just a few meters away, marveling at the strangeness of the sphere which stood right there, in front of their eyes... He noticed that they were talking to each other, but he couldn't hear anything. Silence had taken over the entire sphere. Raymond remembered his early desperate attempts to speak to the crowd, hoping that the ones outside would hear him, but he had soon discovered it was to no avail. He was now standing there, alone... The sphere had become more than just a sphere; it had become a prison... His prison... A prison that was looking after him... A prison he couldn't get out of...
Even if the crowd still gave him a false impression of life, he knew that in there, inside the sphere, existence was unlike anything the people outside could imagine... He felt as if he was spellbound. Was he condemned to remain there forever? What was the meaning of all this? Had he done anything wrong? Did he deserve this condition he was now in? Or did he earn it?...
Raymond wanted to dispose of this feeling. Yet he felt he was unable to do it, a sensation that he found strangely disappointing. He fell asleep for the second time, with the uncomfortable feeling that the sphere had started to contract...



* * *


He was dreaming... It was the first dream he had ever since the sphere had confined him. He felt a prevailing desire to stop the sphere form contracting. And more than that, he felt that his desire was in fact an energy he could control. When he woke up, he had a strange feeling - it was as if the sphere had increased in size...
It was night, but the crowd outside gave the impression that it kept an invariable size. Raymond didn't feel as lonely as before. The dream had astounded him. He tried to see if his willpower could make the sphere release him, but his effort proved to be without success. He wanted to be free, and he thought that freedom was the only thing the sphere was impeding him to attain. He also thought of all the people he knew. Was he ever going to see them again? Speak with them... Touch them... If not, what was going to become of him?...
That was the first time he was considering his stay inside the sphere to be permanent. And he felt content with this thought... He wasn't afraid of what might happen. He didn't regret living outside the sphere as much as he supposedly should have...
He watched the sunrise. Afterwards, Raymond felt tired, and he fell asleep for the third time...



* * *


He was surrounded by light. He then remembered the words of the stranger, who told him about the Light in his eyes. And he felt protected. Protected by the sphere, by the Light, and by himself...
"I was convinced you were going to outshine the state of suffering..." a voice said out of nowhere. It was the voice of the strange man he had met not long ago. "Welcome! This is the place where you have absolute control. The place of never-return... You have managed to reach your destination. Enjoy it now..."



* * *


The voice disappeared, and the light that surrounded him faded away. He was inside the sphere again, and he could feel it all around him, listening to his every wish. He looked out, and he could see the stars. And somewhere, not far away, he saw another sphere. It was a blue sphere, with faint traces of white. It was Earth... He felt peaceful. The sphere had started to spread out in every direction. And while it was doing this, he remained in its centre. He didn't touch the sphere. He didn't have to... His thoughts made the sphere move. It was moving at an amazing speed. But that was Raymond's desire, and the sphere sensed it. His mind had no boundaries. It all suddenly became clear: the strange man, the sword, the sphere, the Light in his eyes... A heavenly state of bliss overwhelmed him. That very moment, he became the Master of his Infinite Sphere...
He was free...