nChapter 12: Out an Opening to Roam as a Soul (Part 1

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nAn out-of-body experience?

nIt was as if the Luo Nan was watching a supernatural film right now. However before Luo Nan could determine whether this soul leaving technique was a good or bad thing, the burning wraith’s red ray had already pierced through the wall to disappear without a trace.

nOh, “disappearing” wouldn’t be an accurate description. This was because there still remained a difficult to describe yet clearly recognizable response that emerged in the bottom of his heart, marking the location of the burning wraith.

nLuo Nan knew the cause of this.

nAlthough the drawing beneath his pen was nominally a “self-portrait”, in reality the descriptions of the state of his body and mind were encompassed within. Naturally, his drawing was also comprised of the burning wraith.

nYep. The wraith was the unnatural warping within the sketch of the prison building.

nRight now Luo Nan’s visualization and his drawing had already fused to one; they were hard to distinguish. It would be impossible for any clues left on the drawing to not leave traces in his mind.

nAnd Luo Nan was stimulated into another burst of insight from the sudden fleeing departure of the burning wraith and the change in motion of the disturbing force.

nHis main body actually didn’t stop drawing under this inexplicable and ineffable out-of-body state. Although further details were unable to be crammed within the notebook’s drawing, this burst of insight had already gushed forth; it was unstoppable.

nWith a strength that seemed to pierce through the paper’s surface, the pen drew tangled, coiled, and intertwined lines in the meager-some white space surrounding the drawing.

nThe conceptual clues continued to strengthen. Finally it formed from the molding of insight with a vibration.

nIt was like… It was like…...

n“*Crack!”

nWithin the visualization plane, within the breath-taking resonance, a giant crow weighed down by heavy chains came to being at the core of the visualized diagram. It was like a preying python; it suddenly moved, probing with its long body.

nThat incorporeal veil had just been pierced. Now it was torn apart once more. The shackled crow smashed and broke through the void to enter into reality. It followed in the direction of the escaped burning wraith, piercing the air to leave.

nLuo Nan didn’t know how long the chains were…… The front half had already broken through the void and the part within the core of the inscribed sphere had yet to reach its limit. Perhaps length fundamentally had no meaning on this plane?

nThis technique was instantaneous. Luo Nan “heard” the sharp cry of the bird. The shackled crow brought his heart to make contact with the violently scorching burning wraith in a flash.

nThe shackled crow’s power was swift. It had actually bore a hole through the wraith by force! Countless silver threads immediately burst and split, coming and going. They interlinked to rigidly lock the burning wraith in place.

nCaptured!

nAlthough there was only a millisecond of delay, Luo Nan still could not taste the scent of victory. An enormous force pulled via long chain to fiercely affect his body.

nThe burning wraith also didn’t know where it drew its strength. It was like an enraged boar that madly charged forward, pulling the chains without caring and in spite.

nLuo Nan was unable to control the mad charge of the burning wraith. Even his main body trembled under the effect, taking some kind of hidden force. He only felt his entire body go light. In reality, the crisscrossed form of the visualization underwent a rapid change. The surroundings of the confinement room was substituted and re-represented by the composition of every room, corridor, and machinery of the warship.

nThis time his soul really was outside of his body…… And he was forcefully dragged from his body by the berserking burning wraith to travel and pass through walls!

nWhat’s this? The physical laws of the spiritual plane?

nAt first Luo Nan was pondering whether or not someone would be able to see this “unscientific” scene. But soon he was sure that the coming and going soldiers, officers, and mechanical AI on the ship were completely ignorant of the chasing scene above their heads.

nThe tightly guarded transport ship had been completely reduced to a defenseless horse racing track……. At least things were this way at this moment.

nIt must be stated that this was quite the new kind of experience for Luo Nan. Luo Nan gave observing the current state of his existence a shot, and he arrived at an initial conclusion after a great deal of effort:

nThe appearance of his soul form was quite approaching that of the burning wraith; he just lacked the wraith’s oppressive dark crimson flames. He was more like a shadow of the void.

nLuo Nan wanted to continue observing this experience in detail, but a chilling sense of feeling increased in intensity after the passing of an unknown amount of time. It was simply due to the crimson ray’s body that blasted wildly within a world of ice and snow. A cold wind of brutality cut like several blades upon his body.

nThis incorporeal frigid wind was absolutely unavoidable. His soul within the void didn’t experience a blood splattering effect, but the intense feeling of pain was completely real.

nIt was quite clear that the situation was heading towards a dangerous incline. And it was quite evident that this was closely related to being dragged into this out-of-body experience.

nLuo Nan’s first thought was to immediately return to his body. But right now his mind and the chain were in coexistence; they were bound to the burning wraith. And he was completely confused on how to unbind himself, on how to separate himself.

nTimes of increasing confusion calls for an increasing need to move to action.

nLuo Nan performed three actions in this life-threatening situation:

nThe first. He made a comparison: What was more painful? The frigid wind cutting his soul or the psychotropic drug composition cutting his neurons?

nVerdict: It appears there wasn’t much difference.

nThe second. He made a confirmation: In the end, was there still a link between his main body and his soul?

nVerdict: His main body was quite in pain over yonder…...

nThe third. He raised a question. Since there existed a link between his soul and his body, where was this link?

nVerdict: Only one thing was known. The link existed upon the visualized plane and the sketched drawing…… Although this answer was somewhat of an abstraction.

nThe first verdict enforced his belief. The second verdict clarified how things worked. The third verdict gave him a method.

nHis staunch belief transformed into a rippling sound of chanting at this very moment. As before, the leading clause exploded and cried forth on the visualization plane and within his soul:

n“My heart’s a prison!”

nThe visualized plane was drawn and blended together with the sketch just as before. A messy and clearly new layer of the prison building was formed between reality and imagination. The building seemed to be constructed like reality as layers upon layers were laid, enveloping Luo Nan’s range of perception like dark clouds.

nThe out-of-body soul appeared to be far from the main body. In reality the soul was still within the scope of the prison building.

nAnd the burning wraith was likewise!

nThe heavily chained crow shuttled crisscrossing within what seemed to be the imaginary prison, forming support posts, thick walls, a prison, torture devices…...

nAnd at this moment, Luo Nan truly understood the nature of what this heavily chained crow represented.

nThere would always be an entity to enforce the rules no matter the prison. Its enforcement power would certainly be top-notch. Its needed to have the strength to punish when faced with a disobedient prisoner.

nThe burning wraith appeared to have evaded to the distance, but it would inevitably suffer a merciless suppression as long as it didn’t truly shed the binding chains that trap it.

nIn an instant’s time, the heavily chained crow vibrated with a cry that executed Luo Nan’s will. The deeply accumulated force within was finally unleashed!

nThe coalescence of his thoughts and insight caused every silver strand that formed every locking ring splitting from the heavily chained crow to become entwined with Luo Nan’s soul.

nThis action was tantamount to piercing and binding the burning wraith from inside out, roping and winding the burning wraith in, and even performing a direct “Slice” of analysis on the burning wraith. A great quantity of information was fed back with not enough time to sort it.

nThe burning wraith hissed with pain, yet no sound waves rippled. Instead spirit waves diffused into the surroundings, containing what seemed to be actual substance.

nIt seemed as if this painful state was way too intense. The lighting along the walls of the long corridors of the warship suddenly went dark.

nThen the entire row of red alarm lights lit up. Sounds from tangible and intangible alarms ran through the entire space of the ship:

n“WARNING. WARNING. A MUTANT HAS INFILTRATED THE SHIP. REPEAT. A MUTANT HAS INFILTRATED THE SHIP.”

n“CLASS THREE MUTANT: DARKSIDER LIFE FORM HAS APPEARED.”

n“ALL ROUTINELY ARMED PERSONNEL ENTER COMBAT POSITIONS. PREPARE SEDATIVES. ALL MECHANICAL AI ENTER STANDBY MODE.”

n“LAUNCHING THE DEEP BLUE PLATFORM. BURNERS ENTERING EMERGENCY STATE!”

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