Ethereal Life, Chapter 18: Inner Sight

"Spiritual Mind." Nai murmured a name he was both familiar with and unfamiliar with. Looking at the ceiling, he noticed something different than usual.

What can he say? An apt name he could say would be "Clearer?". The world seems much clearer and more colorful in his eyes at this moment.

It was as though I thought, "Am I actually a little color blind from the past?" Nai didn't know, nor did he want to.

At this moment, he was enjoying himself by the colors around him.

Yes, colors. Hmm, how can he describe it? It was as though the brown brick wall around him was oozing out some kind of hue—a brown hue.

And when he stared at it, the space would distort, and he would start seeing things. like the brick walls suddenly form a mythical face.

Its eyes are blank; however, it seems as though it can sense someone is looking at him, and in turn, both gazes meet.

A creepy sensation suddenly crawled out from the back of his skin, making his hair stand on end.

Bang.

Ahhhh!

It was as though an explosion sounded in his head as Nai felt the world suddenly turn upside down, spinning like he was just a toy, illuminating the broken glass-like world.

The feeling was like having a headache while riding the fastest and most dangerous roller coaster in the world.

Then he fainted.

Everything reverted back to normal. There was no face or color intensity in the surroundings. There was no overly hued and distorted air anymore.

What remained was Nai, a man in his early twenties with a physique envied by many men. However, both his nose and ears were bleeding.

Only the sounds of rain hitting the ground and roof rang around. Together with the flashes of lightning and rumble of thunder, all of this isn't just real but strangely creepy.

....

the next day.

Nai woke up feeling dizzy and his mind heavy, still having some ringing here and there. His clothes were sticking closed, soaked in sweat; even his vision seemed to be covered by some layer of wavy veil.

He even had the thought that he was hallucinating if not for the dampness he was smelling in the air. The rain should have already passed.

Just thinking about that has caused him great effort just to process it in his mind. Nai knows that something definitely happened to him. But he didn't remember what it was.

Don't tell me, I got bitten by some snake that accidentally passed through the walls.

That's impossible! The walls weren't rough, but smooth to prevent people like them from climbing.

Knowing that he can't stay like this. He can only hope the miracle water can also alleviate this flu-like sickness he is having.

Crawling to the side of his bed, he reached out for a jar containing his drinking water. He opened the lid, which failed to stay by his hand as he took the jar next to his mouth and gulped down a mouthful.

Sweet. 

He didn't even care about the water dripping from the edges of his mouth. All he cared about was drinking and drinking until he could feel he had recovered.

A while after, he closed his eyes as he fell back asleep with the jar of miracle water still hanging on his hand from the bed.

It was just inches away from touching the ground.

...

Strange, strange, strange, strange, strange, strange, strange.....

This word kept resounding over and over again in his blank mind. The voice seems to be confused as well as in disbelief. It cannot find the correct logic to justify its guess with its unknown question.

It was dark, the usual trope. However, it wasn't only darkness that pervaded the whole direction. There is also brown mist lingering around.

By the time he regained his clarity Nai had already found himself standing on some flat, hard ground amidst it. Half of his waist seems to be submerged under the thin brown fog that moves around from time to time like clouds.

"This place is a dream." Nai muttered under his breath, still having some trouble realizing what had just happened. His mind was still feeling like it was losing focus from time to time.

But that did not hinder him from walking around after he felt that he was safe in this place.

Where am I again? Ugh, my head's somewhat dizzy. I can't focus too much; I feel like I could sleep anytime right now.

Ugh. 

In the end, he couldn't take it anymore and fell down. His vision was darkening. "Just what's going on here?"

...

The rain outside has already stopped. The dark gray clouds are dispersing. Lightning and thunder have already flown away on their next mission to scare many living beings.

By the time Nai woke up dizzily and saw the outside of his shelter, It was already nearing sunset. The wind is somewhat cold, so he wore a coat made from wool. It was one of the exchange items he got from Accepter Garut's exchange.

Nai yawns from the aftereffects of just waking up. Growl. His stomach was already rebelling for food just as he was immersing himself in the coolness of nature.

Standing on top of his pyramid-shaped shelter. The grassland around him looked greener than usual today, not just because it had just been baptized by the rain. But also because it was what he now sees with his eyes.

"I had changed?" He felt like he had. The feeling of a change in perspective Only those who have experienced it would know that it takes time for someone to adapt.

Everyone saw a different world. Because they had different perspectives on what they saw in you and in himself, plus the surroundings.

"Somehow, my eyesight has clearly improved. It was much clearer than the past." I can even capture some fast-moving dragonflies not far away. It was a wonderful—no, fascinating—experience to behold.

Could this be the result of that mediation? Nai turned silent as he silently recalled what had just happened back then.

A few minutes later, he exhaled a breath of relief. "Too creepy; did I see something I shouldn't have? Is that the reason I blacked out and had that intense headache?" Just thinking about that creepy face back then suddenly made him shudder involuntarily. "That should be."

That's why there is a saying. Look into the abyss. And the Abyss would look back at you.

Just what is it that caused that to happen to me? Is it because of that subconscious muttering from me?

That line of text suddenly appeared in his heart and mind. Hmmm, no matter how he thought about it, it seems super suspicious.

It was a nameless paragraph?

"I'll call it Spiritual Mind Viridescent Text." Nai thought about it and decided to give it a name. As for why he came up with that name, naturally, because of what had just happened,

Plus, he did not forget the insights he had gained and the wisdom he gained when he mediated by understanding the lines. It was an incredible text.

It was his first time realizing the meaning of a text and suddenly experiencing those mysterious events. How can he simply forget about it?

"This one has the qualifications to be carved on the steele!" Nai made up his mind. He jumped down from the shelter's roof and landed on the wet ground, where a puddle splashed outward.

The sounds of something heavy hitting the wet dirt made Nai feel like he was increasing the muddy waters by stepping on them.

When he arrived in front of the steele. He carved the following on the left side:

Spiritual Mind Viridescent Texts

Out of the body.

Peace of the mind

Only when one is calm can one observe the miniscule.

The world revolves around the sun, not the other way around.

The moon is the spy who governs all things from the dark sky.

Twinkling stars, like the measuring symbol of how many living things the world has seen.

The land, the sea, and the vacuum all start with oxygen.

It is air, gas, or a breath of life that carries the aura of creation.

He read it with satisfaction. "Hmm. I can read this at least once a day. It should be helpful for the mind." What's more, Nai had some expectations in his heart. Naturally, he can't just say it outright.

It's better to wait for the result first than make his effort go down the drain because of too many expectations.

Since he was already done carving, he started checking out what had changed within him.

He closed his eyes and willed it with his thoughts. A while ago, he had this feeling in his gut telling him that he could now see more.

And indeed, his instinct didn't lie to him. He can indeed see his inner self. His eyes opened with disbelief and some kind of disgust.

No matter what, he didn't like to see anything inside a human body. It is making him puke. "Ugh." 

His surprise has turned to rejection, as it seems: "I can only see my inner self but not outside yet with my spiritual mind.". 

Inner sight!