Despite their silence, Tristan and Valeria were fully engaged in their Mental Mind practice, oblivious to their surroundings. Their focus was solely on honing their abilities.
'Valeria... Valeria... Can you hear my voice?'
'Can you sense my mind's presence within yours, Tristan?'
'I don't sense any presence other than your voice.'
'Hahaha... I suppose I still have the upper hand in Mental Mind.'
'Keep up the good practice, both of you. We'll soon rely on our advanced Mental Minds.'
Uncle Alex's sudden voice startled Tristan and Valeria.
'Damn it! I still can't detect Uncle Alex's presence!' Valeria said.
Tristan was shocked. 'What the—'
'Me? A pervert? Hahaha... You sound just like your mother, you know? Haha—'
Uncle Alex's laughter was so long and loud that Tristan and Valeria instinctively squinted their physical eyes and covered their physical ears, even though only they could hear the laughter.
The synchronized reaction of Tristan and Valeria caught the attention of Lady Ayana and her team. They turned their heads towards the two, and a moment later, Lady Ayana glanced at the guy beside her, Prince Alex, and slapped the back of his head.
"What did you do to them?" Lady Ayana asked angrily after slapping Prince Alex.
"Nothing. I was just amusing myself in the realm of the mind," he replied nonchalantly.
Lady Ayana's upset expression turned into curiosity upon hearing his response.
"Impressive! I didn't know you could enter the realm of the mind with your eyes open most of the time," Lady Ayana remarked.
"Really? Well, I guess you don't know everything about me, darling," Prince Alex teasingly replied, flashing a mischievous smile at Lady Ayana.
"Hmm, perhaps I don't know about your soul. But I do appreciate your physique," Lady Ayana said with a smile, licking her lips, before returning her attention to monitoring the surrounding sky. Prince Alex grinned with a hint of pride at her response.
Meanwhile, Tristan and Valeria decided to conclude their practice. They sat down, overhearing the conversation between Uncle Alex and Lady Ayana. The two of Prince Alex's protégés could only facepalm upon witnessing the interaction between Uncle Alex and Lady Ayana.
Not long after, Prince Alex instructed Lady Ayana to gradually descend the aircraft to an altitude of one thousand and five hundred feet above the surface, maintaining that level for the remainder of the flight.
Immediately after giving the order, Uncle Alex's voice appeared in Tristan and Valeria's minds. He instructed them to focus their Mental Minds on the aircraft's surroundings as far as possible. Closing their eyes, Tristan and Valeria delved into their Mental Mind Power, exploring the realm of the physical world.
Tristan struggled to extend his mind and sense the physical world.
"Breathe, Tristan. Inhale through your nose and exhale through your mouth. Push the energy in your stomach towards your head," Uncle Alex's calm voice guided him. The instructions repeated as Tristan attempted to surpass the limitations of his Mental Mind.
But Tristan refused to give up easily. With one final deep breath, he closed his eyes and shut out all sounds, entering a state of suspended animation. His body relaxed while his mind roamed freely. The darkness gradually brightened as if he were seeing with his naked eyes.
Tristan found himself sitting peacefully, eyes closed, and breathing steadily as if asleep. Then he observed his surroundings.
He saw Valeria, his uncle, and everything else within the aircraft's bridge. As he pushed his mind closer to the bridge's wall, his perspective also shifted closer. With one more concentrated effort, his view extended beyond the aircraft's exterior.
Tristan witnessed the aircraft descending incredibly slowly and smoothly, making it appear as though it were maintaining its altitude. As the aircraft's altitude decreased, so did Tristan's view.
Suddenly, Valeria's voice echoed in his mind, breaking his concentration.
'Tristan. Tristan! Can you see me? I can see you. I'm right outside the aircraft.'
'What? But I can't see you... Where are you?'
'I'm right beside you now.'
'Really? Damn it!' Tristan gritted his teeth. He felt immensely frustrated. Despite his intense efforts to advance his Mental Mind, he had not reached the level Valeria had just achieved.
'I can see the frown on your face. Don't be too hard on yourself.' Valeria said feeling amused.
'Oh, easy for you to say now that you can see me in your mind. Does that mean I was frowning in my suspended animation?' Tristan asked the invisible Valeria.
'Let me take a look—' she said.
A moment later...
'Your physical face is frowning. And Tristan, everyone can see it—' Valeria said.
Wanting to verify Valeria's words, Tristan withdrew his mind, returning his view to inside the aircraft. And there he was, seeing himself frowning with his eyes closed. To his surprise, Valeria's eyes were closed, as if she were sleeping peacefully.
Suddenly, Valeria's voice resonated closely in Tristan's mind.
'It's incredible, isn't it? We can perceive the world with our minds just as we do with our eyes, all while our bodies remain in peaceful suspension.' Valeria said excitedly.
'Yes, but I still can't see you or even myself in the realm of the mind.' Tristan realized he couldn't perceive his own hands or body in the realm of the mind. His mind could only observe the physical world.
'What should I do to reach the level of your Mental Mind, Valeria?' He continued to ask with a tone filled with sadness and frustration.
'Don't worry, Tristan, you will reach the level Valeria has just reached. All you need is calm and patience.' Prince Alex suddenly joins their conversation once again.
'Uncle Alex. You're here. It's great to see you in the realm of the mind.' Valeria said.
'Oh, you are near me, Uncle?' Tristan asked, still sounding sad and frustrated.
'Your level should be sufficient to help my plan, Tristan. So don't worry. Because I need you to scan the aircraft surroundings as far as your mind can take you. See anything suspicious and report it to me by calling my name, Uncle Alex. Not Uncle Pervert. Okay, Valeria?' Alex playfully teased Valeria.
'Ups, sorry, Uncle, I didn't mean to mock you like that. I was joking.' Valeria said feeling embarrassed.
'Why do we need to scan for anything suspicious, Uncle?' Tristan suddenly asks, trying to divert the conversation—helping Valeria.
'Because I suspected something has been tailing our aircraft from afar. And We can't set up a new plan if we were being closely watched—' Alex explained.