back in the real world

Abbey could only chuckle when he heard what Sharon said. He tried his best to deviate from the topic, but Sharon was firm about it. Sensing he could not delay answering, he decided to tell the truth.

"On one of my pilgrimages down here, I accidentally did something I was not proud of," he said. "I was testing the limits of my strength when it happened. Needless to say, I almost trapped myself down here. That's when Schade came around, accusing me of doing it."

Abbey didn't bother to explain himself, instead using all his internal energy to escape. "I knew I had to get away before it trapped me," he concluded. "That's the short version."

Sharon didn't press the issue any further, knowing that now was not the right time to be persistent. She simply said, "Okay, for now."

Meanwhile, Schade was still furious with Abbey and was determined to trap him here for eternity. It began to perform a series of complex moves in an attempt to trap either Sharon or Abbey. It immediately created another image of itself to lure Sharon in. Using Sharon as bait, it would now ensnare Abbey.

Before long, the two images were heading in two different directions. One was heading towards Sharon, while the other behaved strangely. At first, it seemed to be heading towards Abbey, but it later slowed down and paused for a while. This strange behavior made Abbey suspicious. He immediately decided to attack head on, but suddenly realized it was an hallucination. He immediately reached out to Sharon before it was too late. Schade, sensing victory was at hand, immediately encircled Sharon. Her vision became blurred and everything seemed to be getting darker and darker at that moment.

She was at a loss, not knowing what to do. A thought suddenly popped into her head. "I am still connected to Abbey, I will reach out to him for help."

Although Abbey was well aware of what was going on, he decided to see how Sharon would react to the situation. On his part, there was a brief pause. All of a sudden, he could hear Sharon in his head. There was a smug smile on his lips briefly. He said to himself, "clever girl."

Sharon, who was in his head, heard the statement but refused to confront him about it. Instead, she focused all her attention on getting his help. Abbey could feel the anxiety and immediately told her to calm down. "Remember, the key is not to be afraid," he explained. "Fear is the tool it needs to trap you." Abbey continued, "Focus on your internal energy and use it to form a protective barrier." Sharon did as she was instructed, and there was now a protective barrier around her. Abbey continued speaking, "Attract my being to yourself." Sharon did not understand this part; it only made her more confused.

Abbey didn't bother to explain and instead, he yelled, "Will me to you, with your powerful mind." Sharon followed Abbey's instructions, and an invisible force began to pull Abbey towards her direction. Abbey didn't resist and soon stood side by side with Sharon, bypassing Schade. "Very good," Abbey complemented Sharon without speaking. This time, without even waiting for Abbey to speak, Sharon took the initiative and began kissing him. They both kissed passionately for what felt like an eternity in Abbey's mind. Soon after they started kissing, their internal energy began to form a bright, then even brighter, and then the brightest light.

Schade was becoming uncomfortable with the brightness and began to retreat little by little. The afterimage it created soon vanished, leaving behind a somewhat frustrated Schade. Meanwhile, Abbey was on cloud nine. He was surprised at what was happening. On one hand, Sharon was kissing him passionately, and he was enjoying it. On the other hand, he could see how Schade was almost drifting away, giving them the space and time they needed to conjure a doorway. All of this was pleasing to behold.

What happened next is or was not something both Sharon and Abbey could explain. The door way was manifesting itself without them even making much effort. It was like it was synchronize with their thoughts. It occur at the same time or rate.

"their breathing slowly synchronized.

What happened next was not something that Sharon and Abbey could explain. The doorway was manifesting itself without them even putting in much effort. It was like it was synchronized with their thoughts. It occurred at the same time and rate.

Their breathing slowly synchronized as the door finished manifesting. They both stared at it for some time. Learning from their last encounter, they both wanted to make sure it was real and not some hallucination trick by Schade again. Sharon looked towards Abbey, seeking confirmation that it was safe to pass through. Abbey nodded, sensing her desire or the strong feelings he was getting from her.

This time, Abbey took the lead and passed through the doorway first. Not wanting to be left behind, Sharon followed suit. Within seconds, they were back in their original bodies again. Abbey took a deep breath and immediately exhaled, while Sharon checked around to make sure they hadn't been tricked this time.

"You are not in my head anymore," Sharon remarked. Abbey didn't say much, but pondered something in his mind. "Only time will tell," he murmured to himself.

In his heart, Abbey feared he would never see Sharon again. But before he could leave, Sharon said cheekily, "I hope you're not planning to leave so soon. After what we just went through, I think we need to talk." Abbey was taken aback by her words. "Are you going to cook me dinner for real this time?" he said with a smile. They both laughed simultaneously, before pausing to feel the awkwardness.

Fifteen minutes later, they were seated at a small dining table, eating and drinking. After finishing their meals, Sharon couldn't wait any longer. "Are you going to explain to me what happened in the astral realm?" she asked.

Abbey was taken aback, unable to comprehend what Sharon was saying. He almost choked on his own saliva before saying, "I don't understand what you're saying." Sharon now with a straight face replied, "I want to know what happened between you and Schade?"

Abbey slowly cleared his throat before saying, "If you must know, I did something bad a while ago. Back then, I was just testing the limits of my power. I went into someone's dream and I was powerful. I had great control over my mind. However, when I couldn't get through, we found ourselves in the astral realm. That's where I trapped him and was able to play around with his head. Instead of sending him back, I left him in a dark place to relive the horrors of the terrible things he had done. In other words, I trapped him here, in the astral world."

"I guess Schade and the rest of the creatures were not happy with what I had done. They have been chasing me ever since. That's just the abridged version. I can't go into more details for now," Abbey added smugly before changing the topic. "Now, let's talk about that kiss."

Sharon's face flushed immediately as she blushed and her face turned red, as if she was lacking oxygen. She quickly replied, "I don't remember any kissing. All I remember is trying to save your life."

Abbey let out a smile before laughing so loudly that he almost hurt himself. "I remember you kissing me so passionately," he said, "that if I didn't know better, I would think you really enjoyed it." Sharon flared up immediately and screamed at Abbey, "I only did it to save our lives! It's not like I had a choice. Do you really think I would dare to kiss you if my life wasn't on the line?" Abbey didn't bother with her yelling and instead retorted, "I understand our lives were at risk, but that doesn't explain the tongue-to-tongue kissing. Or did it?" He had a cheeky smile and playful expression on his face.

Sharon was at a loss for words and couldn't come up with a comeback. Instead, she paused for a moment before tactfully addressing the issue. "If you ever repeat this to anyone, I will gouge your eyes out," she threatened. Abbey simply smiled and replied, "Don't worry, my lips are sealed." They both burst into laughter again.

"It's getting late, I should probably go now," Abbey said. Sharon was surprised to hear this and hesitated before saying, "You don't have to go. You can sleep on the sofa." Abbey was about to speak again but Sharon cut him off, "You yourself said it's getting late. What kind of person would I be if I let you wander around this late at night?"

Abbey thought for a moment before playfully saying, "It seems like you're under my spell?"

Sharon chose not to respond and simply laughed before ignoring him completely. (Using a cold, dismissive tone of voice.)