Dismembered

The day started off nicely with a lavish breakfast that allowed me to regain the strength that I had lost against the shade. It was a cold morning with rain silently falling on the ground it was the calm after the storm. The surrounding areas were draped with water from the intense rain that has passed, the droplets of water gleamed on the side of the open window, and the plants that got wet shined with iridescent light.

I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. Ever since I left the abode with renewed feelings, things have been easier. I can now feel better inside of me and the connection has significantly increased, things are more optimized now that I have a proper grasp on the concept.

'That reminds me I shouldn't keep calling it abode, I think a new name would be much better.'

And with that thought, I made myself vulnerable to my surroundings and allowed the essence of the 'world ' to envelope allowing me to connect to the deep part of the consciousness that resides within. I felt the freezing wind, the strong atmosphere, and the natural essence of mystery around me. It was the indication that I have entered my domain.

Opening my eyes I scanned the area for the way that would lead me to the House that I unknowingly built. Sensing the bright light I leisurely approached the hill that encompassed the place where the house grandly stood and walked towards Y who was standing in front of the house. It took time for me to reach the front, but when I did the house began to glow brightly.

"The house acknowledges your presence Enzo" Y glanced from the house and back to me.

"Is it possible to go down to the house within seven days?" I asked.

I didn't want to waste any more time regarding this matter, something will happen in seven days, and if not things would be much more difficult for all of us.

"No, I do not recommend it at all. You struggle with just one shade, I do not think that you would be fine facing a hundred or so at once." Y replied honestly.

"I know you have a plan, say it already I don't care how dangerous it is" My eyes filled with determination. "Even if it is to the point that it kills me"

"Very nice, that will determine the success of this operation for the meantime, we need to upgrade your skill set regarding. The only thing you can do right now is traps, swordsmanship, and a little infusion. Which is not effective with the way you use it right now." Y explained.

"Then are you gonna teach me how to do new tricks?" I curiously asked. "I don't know if we have the time for that but anything would actually help at the moment."

"I won't but I'll fight you with what strength I can within the spiritual realm inside your abode. You can learn as we go from our fights, and remember I won't hold back in this desperate situation" Y said so giving me a heads-up.

Honestly, I don't know how effective this would be, I haven't even seen him fight yet. I don't really think that things would matter in a way that would greatly show results.

"Ah, don't worry about your vitality, we are in the spiritual realm. The only thing we have to worry about is whether your soul breaks in which case, very very bad, and your determination be tested to the limits." Y added.

"What do you mean no need to worry about anything?" I may ask a lot of questions but I need answers.

"In case you didn't notice there are multiple instances where you were battered to the point of death, but when you came inside you don't feel tired, injured, or any of the sort. Inside here only your spiritual body and whatever you are carrying within your material body is allowed through. Objects inside here will not easily break and whatever injury you experience inside will not affect your spiritual or material body, but…" Y stopped and walked up close to me.

"But?..." I suspiciously asked as he went closer to me.

Without warning or notice, he slashed my right hand. A sharp pain went through me as I thought that my hand was detached from my body, I keeled trying to calm myself down, the pain was so intense that even trying to breathe was a difficult task, but it was only there for a brief moment. It took me a while to get myself composed.

"You see in the material world. Time is the factor that allows the material body to experience pain in such a way that the body can handle it and won't immediately break down thus it heals over time, and with it, pain slowly goes away. However, inside here, pain is instantaneous, cutting an arm here would not mean losing it, but instead, the pain you experience over time will be brought all at once." Y explained.

'So is that the reason my body didn't get tired fighting Marie? Or the time that I got mauled by a shade I didn't feel any pain at all when I came here? Everything here happens instantly and with great intensity at that'

I thought about the answer he gave and everything made sense. There was one thing that I still didn't get.

"But why didn't my body hurt when I entered the abode after the fight with the shade or going through the trapped-induced room?" I asked.

"As I said, material body and spiritual body" He raised both of his index fingers and continued to explain. "They are entirely different, what happens to the material body cannot affect the spiritual body, and what happens to the spiritual body cannot happen outside the material body. There is a clear distinction between them, they are different but they have a connection."

'This is getting complicated but I can still follow through with this' I thought as I focused on Y's words.

"The strength of your spiritual body is equal to what you have in your material body. We don't need to worry about your physical health as you are already built from the training program from your uncle. One thing to keep in mind is that although they are quite distinct they are still united. If one is extremely injured to the point of no recovery but would die or in some religious cases their souls go to heaven."

Y mused at his final statement but I sense no lie about the part about death. It was kinda difficult to know that you have things to worry about on the battlefield, you might even get stabbed to death in the material world, or your spiritual realm be absolutely destroyed. Which results in dying.

"Time flows in the same notion as the material world as it is in the spiritual realm, but on the spiritual body, it acts differently. I think that is enough explanation, do you understand what this means Enzo?" Y asked me with an expressionless face and continued to stare at me while I thought of an answer.

I thought of one possibility that he wants to happen but I think it would be too radical as maybe it could lead to unrecoverable damages. I want to deny the thought but I had no choice but to trust my deduction.

"I get to indefinitely spend time with you?" I answered with a sarcastic tone.

"Wonderful answer, Yes!" His eyes flickered with a spectral glow and his face contorts into a creepy smiling sensation that haunts the daylights of anyone who will ever see it.

At that moment I knew that something was gonna happen. I tried to move but couldn't everything froze, I got cold feet, and my hands were unable to react to what was happening. In a split second, I was elevated from the ground where I saw myself having eye contact with Y. It was when it came to me, his left hand went through my chest that passed through his fingers.

"I think this would be a fun training session" Y smiled brightly as he stated. "At least, for me".

With that, he threw me off his hands by furiously shaking it. I was thrown into the air discombobulated and rode the wind. Difficult wasn't a word that would describe the situation I was facing right now, I was struggling even to move just one finger.

At lightning speed, I was thrown away from the house. I crashed into the nearby rock which further enhanced the assimilated pain that went through my body. Each breath was a constant reminder of agonizing pain that harmonizes with the beating of my heart as it screams for my suffering.

Through the darkest depths of despair, I am being forced to confront my flaws, wrestling with my own mortality and the fragility of my humanity. It is within this crucible that I may discover the strength to rise above my anguish, forging a path toward redemption or succumbing to the all-encompassing abyss.