Trick of the Mind
Hao Xuan closed his eyes and slowly opened himself to allow the cascading waves of countless thoughts, prayers and wishes to guide him as he began this brief but vital journey to the Umbral Planes.
He could hear the voices with stark clarity, just as he had many times before. The only difference now was that he understood the gravity of the situation- the weight of those words that were washing over him.
And expectantly, none of them were good...not in this place. It was mostly the muffled cries of slaves at the end of a hard day or the wishes for a better, less demeaning life for most others.
Some were louder than the rest but polluted with material desires to the point of being barely intelligible if one didn't pay close attention-
'Just two more gold pieces and I can have some fun again! Hahaha!'
'If I win the next bet I won't owe them anything- all of this will be mine, MINE! I'm so close I can taste it!'