Lin and Adriana exchanged bewildered glances, their expressions mirroring the confusion that clouded their minds. Sharone and Nefaria, usually paragons of composure, were visibly agitated, a stark contrast to Kojo's casual dismissal of the situation.
"What's wrong?" Lin finally asked, her voice laced with concern.
Adriana nodded in agreement.
"It's just Astral Projection, isn't it? A means of separating the soul from the body? If that's the case, I don't see the problem. If anything, it's a difficult feat to pull off, so I'd expect a more impressed reaction."
Nefaria stared at Adriana with a mixture of disbelief and exasperation.
"You… you have no idea what you're saying, do you?" Despite her usual haughtiness, a flicker of genuine concern colored her tone. Sharone, her expression tight with worry, stepped forward.
"It's not that simple, Adriana," Sharone explained, her voice low and serious.
"Astral projection is far more dangerous than it appears. It's not merely separating the soul; it's sending your very essence into a realm teeming with energies and beings that are beyond mortal comprehension."
Nefaria, as a Progenitor Daemon, had existed before the plane of Eternity began to spin, since the first echoes of time itself reverberated through the NexusCosmia. Sharone, though younger, was one of the oldest vampires and had walked this world for millennia. In all their years, they had never encountered a mortal so reckless with their own soul.
Well, Kojo was known for his recklessness. It wasn't surprising, as it was one of his trademarks.
Kojo sighed dramatically.
"Come on, you two, I'm fine. What's the worst that could happen? I'm basically a spirit."
"That's exactly the problem!" Sharone snapped. "You just don't get it!"
Adriana raised a hand, her logical mind seeking to dissect the problem.
"If I understand correctly," she said, "astral projection involves the soul acting independently of the physical body, while still being connected. So, theoretically, there shouldn't be any issues with presence or interaction."
Nefaria scoffed.
"Theoretically. Oh, how I loathe that word. Theories are for academics in their ivory towers, not for those who tread the delicate boundaries of reality. The soul, when separated from the body, becomes vulnerable. It's like… like a flame exposed to a raging storm."
Sharone elaborated, her voice grave.
"There are… spiritual lifeforms… beings composed of pure consciousness and raw energy, similar to the four celestial races: Draginkin, Seraphs, Daemons, and Fay. However, these ones exist on a different vibrational frequency, one that overlaps with the mortal plane but is usually imperceptible."
(Spiritual beings are able to interact more freely with Psyions.) Sysia said.
Kojo frowned, "Psyions?"
(Yes, Kojo,) Sysia explained.
(Psyions are the fundamental particles of all things, the very code that dictates the manifestation of existence. To use a more modern analogy, they're lines of code that tell a computer what to do.)
"Celestials like myself," Nefaria said, "can exist in the mortal realm, but we can also shift our vibrational frequency to resonate with the Corridor of Memories as well as other planes. They cannot, and so are trapped there."
"The Corridor of Memories?" Lin asked, her voice barely a whisper.
"A higher dimension where the collective unconscious of all beings resides." Sharone explained.
Nefaria grimaced.
"However," she continued, "these beings in question, 'Fiends,' unlike us Celestials, are weaker, and their control over their energy-based forms is too tenuous, too… unrefined… to maintain a stable form in the mortal realm. They're like animals with no reasoning capability or thought process. All they know how to do is hunt and eat."
"Fiends," Sharone continued, the word heavy with dread.
"Cannot interact with us directly, not in a physical sense. But they are all around us, constantly seeking to influence us, to feed on our… our energies."
"Like nightmares." Nefaria completed.Sharone nodded in agreement.
"Those… sensations..." Nefaria continued.
"That feeling of being watched when you're alone, the chilling sensation of a presence brushing against you when there's no one there, movement in your peripheral vision you often dismiss as a leaf in the wind… those are often the subtle touch of the Fiends."
Kojo shuddered, an unpleasant memory surfacing from his past life. Him having a bad dream then waking up with a start but finding himself unable to move as the nightmarish creature from his dream stared him in the eyes.
"Sleep paralysis demons… those were Fiends as well? Meaning they exist everywhere and are not exclusive to this world." Kojo deduced.
"Does that include the 'imaginary friends' children have?"
(Based on the data,yes. But don't worry, there's a defense mechanism that protects most beings from these creatures. 'Most', that's if you're not actively trying to trouble trouble. The Corridor Of Memories, our collective unconscious filters out these perceptions causing them to be brushed aside as the absurd tricks of the mind. The more you perceive Fiends, the more they perceive you and can interact with you through the established link of perception.) Sysia explained.
Kojo frowned.
"Info from the Babel Archives?" he asked.
(No, a pamphlet on sanitation. Of course the Babel Archives, where else?) Kojo could feel her roll her eyes.
"My bad." He said.
Sysia was silent for a bit, then scoffed and continued.
(The Dark Ages were rife with such phenomena, perhaps due to the fear and despair that existed during that era.)
Estelle's voice echoed in his mind.
"You've finally decided to speak up, huh?"
Estelle didn't respond again, and he heard only silence.
"You're gonna be like that, huh? Alright, vibe." Kojo nodded.
"So, astral projection… it's like opening oneself to these… Fiends."
"Exactly," Nefaria said.
"And fighting them as a mortal is difficult. It's like trying to punch a shadow or wrestle with air. They are spiritual, not physical. Magic, at its core, is still a manipulation of physical phenomena," Sharone said. She then pointed to the shimmering silver cord extending from Kojo's back.
"That cord," she said, her voice trembling slightly, "is incredibly fragile. It's a thread anchoring your very existence. A light touch is all it will take for your soul to be lost forever."
"Worse," Nefaria added, "while your soul is gallivanting about, your body is defenseless. Utterly vulnerable."
Nefaria paused, her gaze sharp as she looked at Kojo.
"You said you were in the Holy Land, yes?" Kojo nodded, and Nefaria's eyes widened in alarm.
"By the Abyss! That makes it even worse! The Holy Land is the Goddess Shrena's domain! It's saturated with her divine essence. Wards, seals, and enchantments specifically designed to prevent spiritual movement are set up all throughout the continent! You're lucky your souls weren't incinerated the moment they left your bodies!"
She shook her head, a rare display of genuine bewilderment.
"It's… impressive, for a mortal, that you managed to project yourself this far. But it's also incredibly, unbelievably dangerous. And stupid."
Lin, who had been listening with growing trepidation, moved closer to Kojo, her face pale. But Kojo simply shrugged, an air of nonchalance in his demeanor. He dropped into a nearby chair, stretching his arms out casually.
"Relax, everyone. Everything's fine."
Adriana's voice was dangerously low.
"Fine? Kojo, this is insane! You need to return to your body now. Both of you. We can talk through a different means."
Kojo waved a dismissive hand.
"It's going to be fine," he repeated, his tone infuriatingly calm, causing all three ladies to narrow their eyes at him.
"I highly doubt any of those… Fiends… would dare to attack me while I'm visiting two of my favorite people in the world."
The room fell silent as everyone stared at him, a mixture of disbelief and exasperation on their faces.
"He's being serious?" Sharone murmured.
"Completely." Adriana replied.
Kojo grinned.
"Besides," he added, "even if a random hand did materialize out of thin air, I'm pretty sure I could handle it. Ah, see what I did there?" He looked around to see if they appreciated the joke.
Sharone and Adriana exchanged another long look before reluctantly settling back onto the couch, flanking the still-shaken Lin.
"I… I'll trust your confidence, Kojo," Sharone said, her voice laced with a heavy dose of apprehension.
"But we need to wrap this up. Quickly. We are not taking any chances."
"Okay, okay," Kojo said, raising his hands in mock surrender.
"An hour, tops. Then we're gone. Happy now?"
Nefaria, who had been observing Kojo with narrowed eyes, finally relaxed.
She understood it now.
She had witnessed the extent of his power firsthand, his uncanny ability to replicate and, more importantly, enhance any ability he encountered.
His 'Mimicking' allowed him to copy any technique or ability through a single touch. He didn't realize it, but he unconsciously maximized any ability or technique he'd copied. That explained his near-corporeal Astral body, which allowed him to hug Sharone and sit comfortably on the couch without phasing. Most masters could barely touch objects in that state for a fleeting moment yet here he sat.
She then recalled their battle against Dona Crimson. Somehow, her master had been able to negate her attacks.
Replaying that event again, she realized that he was negating certain attacks under certain circumstances while others hit their mark.
The reason for this was Kojo himself. Attacks he felt could not harm him at that specific moment simply vanished into thin air, even if they altered the very laws of the world to ensure that they hit their mark.
Nefaria was then able to deduce that his ability 'Universal Negation' was a Supreme Enchantment that could nullify anything Kojo had a notion about that was contrary to reality. In short,anything Kojo felt was too absurd or considered unnatural phenomena was negated.
Nefaria smirked at the idea that even in this world of magic, gods, and demons, her master still had the belief that some things were natural while others were absurdity.
Anyway, Kojo was being protected from any attacks now due to his own cocky nature. The simple fact that he felt that he couldn't be harmed or was powerful enough not to be threatened when in this state automatically negated any idea, notion, and concept of him being attacked by anything while in his Astral form. Of course,this protection extended to Lin as well, perhaps even more so.
Nefaria closed her eyes. Her master didn't know the full extent of his own power. She smirked.
"What a monster," she murmured under her breath, a strange mixture of awe and exasperation in her voice.
"Did you say something?" Kojo asked, turning his head towards her.
Nefaria shook her head.
"Nothing of importance, Master." She realized that the only thing limiting Kojo from reaching beyond... was he himself.
Images of the man in the mask and the desolate landscape of the ruined world flashed across her mind causing her to frown.
She heard a soft purr and looked down at her lap. The Chimera rabbit was awake. She gently stroked his fur just as the front door slid open, and two figures entered the living room.
Mekna's and Keo's faces, upon seeing Kojo, lit up with relief. They hurried towards him, bowing deeply.
"Master Kojo! Welcome back!" Mekna exclaimed, his voice filled with genuine happiness.
"We are so sorry for our tardiness!" Keo added, her words tumbling over each other in her eagerness to apologize.
Kojo waved his hand dismissively.
"Relax, you two. I literally just arrived. No harm done. I'm just happy to see you both getting along."
Mekna and Keo exchanged a grateful look, their eyes shining with affection for their master.
"We will prepare a meal for you immediately," Keo declared, already turning towards the kitchen. Mekna followed close behind.
Before Kojo could protest that it wasn't necessary, they had vanished into the kitchen, their voices already rising in a familiar, bickering harmony. Kojo smiled, shaking his head fondly.
"Those two never change," he murmured.