Mnou was vaguely aware of herself. Her thoughts and emotions were fading in and out, reappearing only to vanish again the next moment. Looking back, she vaguely recalled that it paradoxically felt as if her consciousness had simply ceased to exist several times. She could never quite remember that feeling—probably because, in those moments, she hadn't felt anything at all. There was no up or down, no front or back, no near or far. It was complete and all-encompassing freedom. A kind of freedom the human mind couldn't process or experience. Only when a point is defined in space can something truly exist—though it loses part of its freedom in doing so.
Finally, she saw darkness. It was something immensely beautiful. Something that existed only on an astral level, and yet it was enough to help the witch steady herself and recover. A sharp brightness struck her eyes. From the darkness emerged the light of a world. Pale, misty, but a world nonetheless.
Mnou stood on a hill, and beneath her spread the blurred landscape of the island of Kalkha. There was no wind and no sound. She felt an enormous sense of relief. This time, entry into the astral plane had been much more chaotic and wilder than usual. It had never been pleasant, but now she had genuinely feared she wouldn't be able to untangle herself from it. She pondered in silence—until she realized she was still alone. She looked around in panic. Ruth!
Mnou, a voice echoed in her head. She looked around in confusion, unable to locate the speaker. The she finally saw her. She was all white, flickering in a non-existent wind. But the face was unmistakable. It was truly Ruth. Not a dream of her, not just her voice—her. Her once-physical form imprinted into the soul.
Ruth, I'm so relieved you made it. I didn't expect it to be this hard. The witch stepped toward her and tried to gently take her hand, but it slipped through like smoke.
So this is… the astral world? her friend asked.
Yes, but only the first level. It's like a misty reflection of our world. Deeper, it becomes much more… abstract.
How deep have you gone?
Only to the second layer. No one really knows how many there are. Maybe they go on forever. At that thought, she shuddered. Even the idea of returning to the second level scared her. This world was unexplored, unfamiliar, and terrifying by nature—but she knew there were likely other dangers lurking here as well. I don't know what would be worse—that the goddess tries to trap me here, or that she takes over my body in my absence. I must hope we find Azra quickly and that Esme can protect me in our world.
She pushed off gracefully from what could loosely be called the ground and floated a few feet into the air. Ruth hesitantly followed. For a while, they simply hovered and wondered what to do next. Mnou closed her eyes and tried to sense her surroundings. She hoped few souls lingered in the first level, so she could find Azra quickly. But she soon realized, with worry, that many others were present. Normally, there were none—but she had long understood that nothing lately had been normal.
I don't feel him anywhere nearby, Mnou said uneasily. Let's head toward the rift into our world. That's probably where most of them are gathering.
You said he might find us himself—because he'll sense me? Ruth asked, cautiously gliding behind her friend who was leading the way.
Yes, it's not impossible. A child and a mother share a strong bond. Their souls are connected in a way. If he's here somewhere, maybe he'll find us. But we can't rely on that.
It didn't take long for them to reach the place. As they had expected, it was quite crowded—just like on the other side. Few souls dared to step into the rainbow-colored rift, however. They weaved through the crowd, and Mnou sharpened her senses, trying not to miss even the slightest hint of Azra's presence. But so far, nothing pointed to him.
We have to watch the time, Mnou warned after what felt like an eternity. Even though Esme said she'd wait for us even years, that's not realistic. She can't sit by our bodies for days. She'd starve—and honestly, I'm afraid she'd be willing to do it.
How much time do we have, then?
We haven't been here long, so hopefully it's okay—but the worst part is, we don't know how fast time flows here. Last time, I spent maybe a few hours, and a whole week had passed in our world. But the time before that, it was much shorter. It's just… complicated.
After more searching and no results, Ruth asked: Wouldn't it be a good idea to at least take a look at the second level?
Mnou didn't answer. She sighed inwardly. She didn't like the idea. It was risky—but then again, so was this entire journey, and descending to the lower levels might actually help them. She recalled an important detail from the Ashkantt lectures.
It's true that Azra might be down there somewhere. And the lower a soul moves, the… stronger it becomes. I guess you could put it that way.
Stronger? her companion asked, surprised.
Yes. It's like the soul becomes denser and more real. I've even heard theories that souls once escaped into our world from the core of the astral plane. So technically, they don't belong there—and their true place is here. That's why they become more powerful the closer they get to their natural environment.
So, Azra might sense us more easily! Ruth's soul practically shimmered with excitement in the motionless space.
Mnou nodded. All right. It's probably worth a try. She tried to clear her mind and fill it only with the silence that surrounded them. There was no physical path to the lower levels. Nothing like that existed here. It was purely a matter of feeling. Despite her focus, a memory from Ashkantt crept into her mind. She vividly recalled how Professor Lu compared travel in the astral to the currents of rivers— invisible channels crisscrossing the space, and the trick was to catch one and let it carry you.
Suddenly, she felt a flow around her. It really was like plunging into a mountain stream. It had no temperature—just an indefinable something that surrounded her. A river of breeze. At first, she panicked. It was unusual to feel anything in this place. Her instincts told her to pull out immediately. But luckily, she calmed down before the current vanished completely. She carefully opened her eyes. The flow hadn't gone. A strange excitement welled up inside her.
Ruth, I think—
The witch didn't even have time to blink before the world that had just surrounded her shrank into a tiny dot in the distance—then disappeared altogether. She was engulfed by emptiness, which instantly transformed into a swirl of rotating streaks of light. It looked like some mad swarm of falling stars.
Well well, what a pleasant surprise, a venomous voice purred in her head. I never would've guessed you'd throw yourself headfirst into my domain like this. Maybe you're not as clever as I thought you were… witch.