Alas, he could not decipher the spell. He recognized some parts within the unraveling strands, but even then he couldn't analyze their purpose.
These strands were, after all, far more complex than the most advanced spells Eldrian had ever cast.
He felt like a child looking at a nuclear physics equation. Sure, he could pick out some numbers and symbols. They were familiar individually. But the meaning of the equation would remain beyond him. And the same held true for these strands.
Naturally, this meant understanding the workings of the entire spell was infinitely beyond him.
Leaving, however, was a frightening proposition. Eldrian knew not how time would flow differently. Or, rather, what the difference between the pacing of time here, at the core of everything, and elsewhere, was. Time might be almost frozen here, or it might flow equally. He had no hint as to which option would give him the most time.
But that wasn't even the biggest problem. Eldrian still didn't know how to leave this realm. And if he left, there was no guarantee he could return.
He also didn't know what he would find on his return—if he even succeeded in doing so. He was certain years had passed. Earth might be already destroyed.
A depressing thought. One he did not wish to dwell on.
If it turned out to be the truth...
'No, it can't be. Let's just assume time is frozen when I'm here.' He told himself. Lest he lose all his motivation to try anything.
Taking one last glance at the spell, Eldrian decided to start wandering through this "plane" again. Time flowed, and days passed. Weeks later (if Eldrian's perception of time passing was accurate), he stumbled upon a connection.
The connection, of one of the bands that connected the outer sphere of this plane—and thus connected the rest of existence to this core of time—was affixed here.
Like many things, he could "see" this connection. Perhaps because of the warping of space, or the warping of time. Or perhaps because of its interaction with the outer sphere.
Regardless, it formed a semi-physical opening. Appearing like a whirlpool. From which time and pure energy streamed out of the core, into the universe this "band" connected to.
Eldrian felt walking into this whirlpool would allow him to leave this plane. Alas, there was no signpost to inform visitors which universe/world/dimension this led to.
And that was if Eldrian would survive the journey.
He wasn't here physically. He was here as a conscious mass of thoughts. A formless being called a soul. And thus he didn't need to worry about physically warping of space—which was happening before his very eyes.
No, that posed little danger to his ethereal form. The danger came from the warping of time. And the energy contained within this whirlpool. Perhaps better described as a wormhole.
"It's one of the nearer ones." He told himself. Beyond happy that he had decided to work from one "side" and go from there. And to define a side, he had installed a line of signposts vertically from his normal plane of "walking".
While he had lost most of those signs, two had survived. Their distance, as the furthest signs, confirmed that he was facing the right direction.
Going from there, Eldrian created new signposts while retracing his steps. About fifty wormholes later, he found the right one.
Gazing at the whirling convex pool of primordial energy, Eldrian hesitated. The sight before him was probably what the forming of the universe looked like. Just a jumble of unorganized power. Still trying to form into things so defined as space.
It was the raw nature of existence, and jumping into it felt like suicide. But if he wanted to return home, this was his only option.
Gathering his courage, Eldrian took the plunge. He stepped forward, and as soon as his foot touched the barrier, he disappeared.
His consciousness lost all shape as he was thrown into the whirlpool of raw energy. Assaulted with all of creation, he barely retained his sanity. His previous experiences helped him shield a part of himself—while letting the rest be destroyed.
He lost consciousness as one tiny fragment of him hurled through the whirlpool. Like a tiny pebble in the currents of a stormy sea, it floated without aim. Taken by one current after the other. Until, finally, it reached land.
Waking with a start, Eldrian curled onto his side and vomited.
His thoughts weren't intact. Some of his memories had been lost, but he had survived.
Trying to stand, Eldrian fell. A sharp crack and intense pain informed him that something was really wrong.
He shifted his eyes to the source and found a bone protruding from his arm. Having fractured as soon as he tried to move himself.
It wasn't the only source of pain. He realized that in curling onto his side, he had torn plenty of atrophied muscles.
Eldrian currently looked like an atrophied moving corpse. Like a starving vampire thrall starting to fall apart. His skin had torn along with his muscles, and death was clearly waiting for him.
But Eldrian wouldn't let death claim him so easily. He sent out his thoughts and felt the abundance of mana around him. Which he called to himself.
The mana obeyed, as easy to move as breathing. No, breathing was currently a massive struggle. Even thinking clearly was difficult. But using mana. It was simple. Easier than even forming a coherent thought.
The mana rushed to fill Eldrian's body, to repair it. But, shockingly, as soon as it entered his body, it disappeared. His situation did not improve, and shortly, Eldrian realized he might be in some real danger.
The density of mana dropped sharply. Even as he expanded his zone of control, Eldrian depleted the larger area of all its mana with ease. Forming a vacuum lacking any mana around himself.