The Sealing Ritual (2)

Umbra followed Katie after making sure there were no people or animals around them. He found Katie huddled in the middle snowy-road. The girl looked so pitiful, making his heart saddened. Umbra's current expression was very frantic with anxiety and worry.

It had been five hours, and there was still no sign. He felt wanting to cover Katie with the thick blanket he was now carrying. It felt like he wanted to send Katie back to a warm place and keep her away from this dangerous condition.

But what if the sealing process had begun? Doesn't that mean he killed her if he moved her body?

Five hours changed to eight hours and continued to twelve hours, but there was still no sign. This made Umbra even more nervous and unable to think clearly. There was an internal struggle between bringing Katie back or not inside his heart. Maybe the sealing still hasn't happened. There was still have a chance to take her home before her heart froze and stopped beating.

After struggling with his dilemma, Umbra decided to walk over to Katie. But his steps stopped when he realized there was a change around Katie's body.

A stream of wind swirled in frightening speed from Katie's body. It was initially in the form of small ones, which then grew more prominent and more extended.

'How can I know when the process starts and when it ends?'

'You'll find out later.'

Now Umbra found out. The spinning wind indicated the sealing process had begun. That means, whatever happens, he could not touch nor move Katie from her place.

Umbra decided to wait by leaning on a large tree while looking at the clock anxiously. He hoped this sealing ritual ended before twelve hours.

Meanwhile, in Katie's subconsciousness, Katie was standing in a dark place. She could see nothing but her own body. She decided to walk straight while asking questions. How can she find her life energy?

"Hello? Is there anyone?" Katie shouted in the darkness.

There was no answer or reaction. Katie let out a resigned sigh and decided to move on.

However, no matter how long she walked, she found nothing. It was as if she had not moved at all and was still in the same place.

The weirdest thing was she could not even see the floor under her feet even though she could stand up just fine. She also did not see the wall or anything around it. Katie only saw the solid ink-black around her.

Slowly, her anxiousness began enveloped her heart.

What if she could not find the energy of her life until the end?

Katie lowered her head down with a blank look, then squatted and hugged her knees.

What should she do? How did she get out of this place? She did not know how long she had been there as she could not feel her body temperature. It was not cold nor hot. But slowly, she felt coldness around her chest area. And the cold began to spread to other nerves.

Katie held her chest with her hand. How many hours has she been unconscious? What if her heart starts to freeze?

Thinking about this, she panicked and was afraid.

'Why?'

Katie heard a voice and immediately looked up at the source of the sound. This time she saw a small spark in front of her. Then the light shone brighter and transformed into a figure like a human being.

Katie did not see her face or clothes. She only saw the silhouette of a human with golden yellow-reddish light.

"Who are you?" Katie asked the mysterious 'figure.'

"I am you."

"Me?" Katie asked in confusion. Unconsciously she stepped closer to the figure. She held out her hand to touch this 'figure' body. Right when she touched it, again, this 'figure' changed shape.

This time it changed like a very long rope and extended on two opposite sides in front of Katie.

'Why do you want to imprison me?'

"Imprison?"

"Didn't you come here to seal me?"

"What? No. I didn't come here to seal anyone. I just..." Katie's words pause as she realized something.

Is it possible this light is the energy of her life? But how could her life energy communicate with her? Why does it feel her life energy had its own thinking?

Katie felt she did not live in the real world. She felt this situation of her was very otherworldly and unrealistic as if she was not human in the real world.

Well, that's not wrong. She indeed lived inside a novel, and her life being was at the mercy of the author's hand.