'What is the mind…'
I mulled over this question a bit as I looked around.
A cultured goat, a beaming swan, an old man with crimson red eyes, and a giant with a blindfold.
"Haah…."
A tired sigh came out of my lips. I was tired, really tired. Why didn't I just die?
"I must be hallucinating again."
I said to myself quietly. From the painting to the corridor, to this garden. It seemed like I was experiencing signs of a particular mental illness.
'Is this what having schizophrenia is like?'
I thought to myself.
"Hahaha!"
The old man chuckled to himself. He looked at me with an amused expression and said.
"Are you doubting your eyes?"
My face remained passive as I nodded. Who would believe what I was seeing right now? The old man stroked his beard a few times with an amused smile. He seemed to like doing that a lot.
"Maybe the fine lass is a bit peckish eh?"
The cultured goat suddenly said before turning to the white swan beside him.
"Make yourself useful and go grab her some sandwiches and some hot tea you webbed feet mattress!"
"Oh, shut it you hooved tub of laird! You couldn't get anything done around here without me and you strut around like a peacock in heat all day. You don't mind your manners and see if I don't poison your meals with laxatives for a whole year!"
I turned my head to look at the swan.
'This bird is really fierce! It must be the woman of the house…. Erh? She? No matter, I must be careful not to offend her.'
The swan then left with a huff down a corridor after thoroughly chastising the goat who could only grumble but couldn't reply.
The old man just watched this scene with an amused smile before continuing what he was saying.
"Have you ever heard of the theory that 'reality' is relative and human perception is unique to every individual? We live our lives and attach names and labels to certain things and experiences but what may be 'good' to some might just be 'bad' to others, what is a 'circle' to some might just be a 'square' to others, what is 'red' to some might just be 'green' to others."
I quietly looked at the old man as I listened. I understood what he was saying, it was a theory that although hasn't been proven, has been very popular and had persisted over the years in both philosophical and mental disciplines.
"The perception of a single person should never be dismissed as illusory or crazy as some people say. It is not that they are wrong, they are just perceiving things others can't. That isn't wrong in itself but is instead a very fascinating thing.
The mind of a person is capable of thought, processing information, and general coordination of a person's life experiences. It doesn't come up with a stimulus on its own, just processes and reacts to it. With the body as an extension which is a medium between a person and his experiences, we can easily decide if the mind is faulty by confirming something very simple."
The old man went into a lengthy tirade before finally coming to the main point.
"How many fingers am I holding up?"
He lifted four fingers into the air. I decided to humor the process as I had nothing better to do.
"Four"
He smiled at my answer and then reached down to pluck a flower that was growing just beside his chair. It was a delicate blue thing with four petals, it could be said to be beautiful.
"What am I holding up? Mind you I want a full description with size, shape, and color. To make it more valid this time, let's both say what we see at the count of three."
I looked at the old man before looking at the flower.
"One."
He began to count.
"Two. Three."
"A small blue flower with four petals."
"A small beautiful flower with soft and bright blue petals."
The old man beamed once more.
"Apart from your lack of poetic elaboration, I can say that there is nothing with you mentally. But if you're still uncomfortable, just go with it for now. All will be explained in due time."
I couldn't help but feel a sense of comfort from the old man, he had a homely feel to him even though I found his crimson eyes a bit alien and unsettling.
"I would partake in the debate then."
I said quietly. I decided to continue humoring my situation, for now.
The atmosphere was suddenly broken as the white swan sauntered into the garden with a tray filled with sandwiches and a small cup of tea balanced on one wing.
She managed to maintain a graceful air as she served me the sandwiches and tea with a smile, chiding me to eat as she went on.
"Come on my dear, eat, eat! Leave these old men be to talk about the mind and soul and whatnot. A pretty lady like you shouldn't be around these stuffy old bags, after you're full I'll take you to get a pretty dress that's just to your taste."
The cultured goat seemed to grunt in dissatisfaction but a glare from the swan made him keep quiet instantly.
I smiled back at the swan while holding back the chuckle that threatened to escape my lips.
"Thank you very much milady"
I said in a tone I hoped matched their way of speaking.
She smiled back at me happily, at least that's what I think it looked like when a swan smiled, and said it was nothing much before going back to her seat.
I took a bite of a sandwich that seemed to be filled with vegetables and a type of cheese I couldn't recognize. It was savory so I didn't mind it. I washed it down with the sweet tea that had a fruity taste while I contemplated the question of the mind.
The rest of the table was strangely very polite. Nobody said a word as I ate and contemplated the question in silence.
What do I think of the mind?
"I think the mind is an interface of some sort between a person and their consciousness. It allows you to manifest thought and emotions into something you can perceive and gives direction to your ego, purposes, and needs."
I said after eating three sandwiches and finishing my cup of tea.
"Hmph!"
The cultured goat adjusted the monocle on its eye in a smug manner when he heard my answer and looked at the old man mockingly. The old man didn't pay him any mind.
"Quite the erudite answer."
The old man nodded thoughtfully while stroking thoughtfully.
It wasn't a sincere answer, this was something I hadn't given much thought to before.
"This may sound a little off but if you don't mind me asking, you must be from Earth, right? What was the last date you recall?"
It was indeed a weird question.
His question suggested the possibility that I was no longer on Earth!
'Haah! The commander would have jumped out of his uniform in glee if this is what I think it is.'
I remembered my commander with a bit of guilt, I had shut off communications while he was trying to contact me just before I passed out. It was too late for regrets now.
"August 15, 2222"
The old man paused. He didn't react until a few seconds later.
"Nearly two centuries? I see, I really can't make any judgments with time."
He said with a resigned expression on his face.
My curiosity piqued, I decided to clarify the situation.
"What judgments are you making if you don't mind me asking? From your earlier question, I guess I am no longer on Earth? And since you are aware of this, I can guess we are from the same place at least. What is this all about?"
The old man stroked his beard vigorously as he seemed to be in deep thought. After a while, he finally replied.
"Yes, we are no longer on earth."
His tone left no room for doubt as he said that. Although I wasn't feeling particularly unwilling about this information, I had nothing to miss back home anyway.
"As for where we are right now? I am still not sure. The alignment of the stars is different and there are no similar constellations or planets as far as I can tell. Transmigration? A different dimension? Or a different universe? It could be any of those. I came into this world nearly 500 years ago on the 7th of May 2022, but on earth, only about 2 centuries have passed. It is really fascinating isn't it?"
The old man didn't give me much time to process this information but suddenly beckoned with his finger. A piece of white paper and a charcoal pen flew out of one of the corridors and landed on the table.
Without lifting another finger, the charcoal pen swiftly drew a rather simple image on the paper. It was done quickly and the paper was delivered in front of me.
"Did you perhaps encounter this scene while you were on earth?"
The old man nodded towards the paper.
The image was quite well done considering the speed taken to draw it. The background was a starry sky, and in the middle of the sky, a giant crack ran right across from top to bottom.
Stars could be seen spilling out of the crack in great numbers and a giant pupil-less eye was staring right at me from the crack in space.
I was sweating before I knew what was happening. My eyes trembled, my body shivered, and I could feel a cry of despair hanging in my throat.
I could remember the scene vividly as if it were branded in my brain with molten steel. The scene I thought was beautiful until I saw it, the ominous pupil-less eye.
FLAP!
The sound was abrupt as the paper folded itself up into four places and landed in front of the blindfolded bronze giant. The man quietly lifted a finger and tapped on the paper twice, a smile on his face.
"Her mind is still quite weak. Unless necessary, you should rather not show her this."
A voice echoed in my mind.
A trace of shock swept over me for a second but I took it in stride. A talking goat was enough of a deal breaker, nothing would surprise me in this world anymore.
Tossing my experience with the pupil-less eye to the back of my head, I turned my gaze to the white-haired bronze-skinned man who was still maintaining the calm smile on his face.
He matched his gaze with mine also before snapping his fingers with a loud snap. The piece of paper with the drawing on it caught into flames before turning to ash that was swept away.
"What is it, little birdy? Has your mind not healed yet?"
His calm playful voice echoed in my mind once again.
"How do you do something like that? Is it magic?"
I asked curiously. The bonze man smiled as he lifted a hand and adjusted the blindfold around his eyes.
"Nothing of the sort. It is not a trick or anything, it is just an ability that stems from my soul."
"Your soul allows you to speak into people's minds?"
I asked incredulously. Are souls that powerful? I was not someone that even believed in the existence of the soul.
"The soul allows one to accomplish many things, but it is just a source. Ultimately, it is my mind that I use to speak into the mind of others. It comes naturally to me as a fish knows to swim. Whatever my mind wills, I can achieve."
I kept silent as I mulled over his words that seemed impossible to believe. With such a description, this person should be the most powerful being in all existence! Surely this power should have limits? Because his words made it sound like his only limits were his imagination.
The old man who was quiet all this while was watching the bronze giant with a contemplative expression on his face. Although the man was speaking to me in my mind all this while, it seemed the rest were able to hear him as well.
"You still haven't proved the existence of the soul to me all these while even though you claim it exists. The mind is clearly an interface for the body, I can show you clear proof of this. Why do you insist I am wrong?"
The old man said in a slightly aggrieved tone.
"The mind acts as a primary bridge for the soul, not for the body. Although it is also connected to the body, it is only in the form of a means of understanding the world and reacting to it."
The bronze man smiled as he adjusted his blindfold.
"Soul, Mind, Body, Heart. These are the basic foundations of every living thing. Although they are all interconnected and all serve each other, some are more connected to one than the others."
The man calmly explained.
"How do you affect the world with your mind?"
I asked. I was more interested in this than their philosophical debate.
I had to admit that ever since I saw the first display of extraordinary power, a feeling in my heart that I haven't had for a long time seemed to emerge. I wasn't sure what that feeling was but it seemed to grow stronger by the minute.
The bronze-skinned man looked at me, smiled, and spoke into my mind.
"Of course, it is with the eyes. The eyes are the door to the soul. They act as a medium to manifest the power of your soul using the strength of your mind."
I frowned a bit as I felt this statement was a bit wrong?
"The eyes are the door to the soul? Isn't it a window?"
I asked the bronze-skinned man
"Window? Why would it be a window?"
I could accurately feel the amusement in his voice echoing through my mind."
"I am trying to step in, not peek through the glass panes."
His voice was laid with thick amusement as he looked at me and I felt somewhat perplexed. This was a new line of thought I had no prior knowledge of!
At this moment, a black magpie flew in from the center of the hole at the top of the garden. The magpie was silent as it gracefully landed on the shoulder of the bronze-skinned man and carefully preened its feathers.
The man gently stood up and spoke to the white swan who was quietly dozing off on her chair, startling her awake.
"Milady? May I bother you to get our guest some clothes? We will need to be heading out soon."
"Of course."
The swan said sleepily as she beckoned me to follow her.
"Where are we going to?"
I asked a bit lost, the man smiled in response.
"To retrieve your ship. It's unfortunate but a group of lunatics are on their way there right now. And I would rather not have them get their hands on it."